As
Paul the apostle instructed the Colossian church members concerning
their relationships with one another, he told them to do whatsoever
they did “as unto the Lord, and not unto men”. This would
help them to be in harmony with one another, and in chapter three and
verse twenty-four of his letter Paul wrote about“the reward of
inheritance” they would receive from the Lord if they did so.
We read:
Knowing
that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance:
for
you serve the Lord Christ.
The
verse begins, “Knowing
that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance:”
Because
the focus of the Colossians would be “as
unto the Lord”,
they could be “Knowing”
or “seeing, perceiving with their eyes, observing, and
experiencing” “that
of the Lord you shall receive”
which means “to gain or recover what is due” “the
reward of inheritance” or
“the recompense, inheritance, property
received (or to be received) by inheritance, or what is given to one
as a possession the eternal blessedness of the consummated kingdom of
God which is to be expected after the visible return of Christ”. As
the church members worked “as unto the Lord”, they had the
promise of a reward for doing so.
The
verse continues, “for you serve the Lord Christ.” As
though there needed to be an additional reference to serving the
Lord, Paul reminds the Colossians “for you serve” or “are
a slave to, do service for, obey and submit to” “the Lord
Christ” who is “Jesus Christ”. Everything the Colossian
church members did was as it was unto Jesus, and as they functioned
in this manner, they could be certain to receive a reward from Him
someday.
As
we meditate upon these words of Paul, let us allow the Holy Spirit to
help us function with the idea in mind that we do everything as unto
the Lord and not unto men. The Lord has a “reward of
inheritance” waiting for us, and as we serve, obey and submit
to Him, we will not be disappointed. Though we may not receive the
responses we desire from people when we serve them, we may know with
certainty, as long as we are serving them with the Lord Jesus in
mind, our service will not go unnoticed. May the Lord give us the
strength and remind us to whom our service should be, and that He
stands ready with a reward when we are through.
Next
time Paul tells the Colossians what happens to those who do wrong, so
read ahead, and
we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment