Mike’s Musings …
And Be Ye Thankful
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)
The inspired words of Paul to Colossae are easily understood. God’s peace, obtained from obedience to the gospel of Christ Jesus (Romans 5: 1-11), must rule in our hearts. We are called being one body (i.e., the church – 1 Corinthians 12:12-13), and we are to be thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Simplicity at its finest! Yet so many souls never get it … they believe their way, their convictions, are enough and God should be pleased! Since when does Man overrule God? How can true thankfulness exist when that happiness is gained by Man’s temporal desires rather than obedience to God first and foremost (Colossians 1:18)?
True thankfulness and true happiness go hand in hand. Read the context of these passages, focusing on the passage mentioned here: Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 1:12, 3:17. Now take those lessons learned and culminate them with this passage: Hebrews 13:15 – “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” We should easily understand that true thankfulness exists ONLY when we rejoice in the Lord. And the only way one can “rejoice in the Lord” is to obey Him and remain faithful in that obedience throughout our lives (Galatians 3:27; 2:20; Colossians 3: 1 – 17).
I muse on the joy we have in Christ! There are no better people than those who faithfully serve Him and build us up in the most holy faith (Jude 20-21). Therefore, I muse with joy while thanking God for His innumerable blessings – an abundance of them being our brothers and sisters in Christ who, because of their joy in the Lord, continue to encourage me to remain faithful in all things while giving Him thanks! (Colossians 3:17) That’s the greatest THANKSGIVING souls can have in this life!