Together in Christ: 'Finding Our Center in Christ and His Love' — Colossians 3:14, 17

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

. . .

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

— Colossians 3:14, 17 NLT

Key Thought

"We can't be all circumference with no center." I can't remember who said this statement or when I heard it, but it is spot-on-target. This message is especially true for all of us seeking to follow Jesus. We can easily become distracted and lose focus of the center because of the distracting circumferential and tangential issues of our lives. We begin to "major in minors" and lose sight of what is most important.

Jesus has to be the center of our faith, life, behavior, and future! We are representatives of the Lord Jesus in whatever we say and do. Not only should we be thankful for Jesus as our Savior and Lord, but we also need to tune our lives so they will be a constant and harmonious offering of praise, presented always with thanksgiving to Jesus for all He has done for us.

When Jesus is the center of our lives, His defining virtue, which is love, radiates out from His influence on our lives [1] and binds our hearts in love with others. Without love being our motivation, we ultimately "would be nothing" and "would have gained nothing" that is lasting and redemptive. [2] Just as we were "clothed... with Christ" [3] when we came to Him for salvation, [4] we now want to wear the love of Christ as our garment. We want His presence to shine forth in our loving actions. Only Spirit-inspired love [5] can bring our relationships together in a harmony that sings of the generous love God lavished upon us. [6]

Let's put Jesus at the center of everything, so His love shines forth in all we say and do!

[1] 1 John 3:16-18.
[2] 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 13.
[3] Galatians 3:27.
[4] Galatians 3:26-29; Romans 13:14; Colossians 2:10, 12, 3:1-4.
[5] Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22-23; John 3:16; Ephesians 1:6-7, 2:1-10; Romans 5:6-11.
[6] Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:13-23.

Today's Prayer

Loving Jesus, God the Son, as we wear You as our garment that the world sees, please help us shine Your love to all we meet and in all that we do. We want the world to know Your generous love and grace, dear Savior. We ask, Holy Spirit, that You fill and empower us with the love we need to share. We ask this in Jesus' name so we can bless our world. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
  • Romans 5:5; John 3:16-17; 1 John 3:16-18

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Illustration

Illustration of Colossians 3:14, 17 NLT — Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. . . . And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

About This Devotional

Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.

'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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