Colossians 3: 12 – 17
Before I married the Lovely Mrs. Block, I used to work the graveyard shift for a transitional facility, which is kind of a stepping stone between a detox and a halfway house. When I first took the job I did it with the understanding that it was an awake position. In other words we were required to stay awake all night doing light paperwork and remaining on alert for the safety of the clients we housed. As staff, we also had a not so silent agreement that we would take turns sleeping for a few hours each which was in direct violation of the rules we understood when we were hired.
I went along with this agreement happily for quite sometime until the Pastor of the church I was attending then, preached on these verses.
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
After meditating on the lesson, I asked myself a question; “How am I giving glory to God by taking a nap”? I went to work that night and explained to the others that I worked with that I was unable to go along with them and sleep, but that I would leave it up to them to change their behavior, and would not say anything to the boss.
At first I was looked on with distrust b the folks I had developed a relationship with, but, that passed and it afforded me an opportunity to pray with clients who couldn’t sleep, which grew into a voluntary late night group for about 30% of the clientele.
God was given glory those nights.
This has been a long drawn out example of what the verses are about and it may seem as if I am blowing my horn, I’m trying not to, I’m just trying to show that listening to the word of God began to change me and the place where I worked for the better.
Try following the example that Paul laid out for us in these verses paying particular attention to verse 17, and see what happens. If we are able to be true to the teaching, then we should begin to see things change in our daily life.
Before I married the Lovely Mrs. Block, I used to work the graveyard shift for a transitional facility, which is kind of a stepping stone between a detox and a halfway house. When I first took the job I did it with the understanding that it was an awake position. In other words we were required to stay awake all night doing light paperwork and remaining on alert for the safety of the clients we housed. As staff, we also had a not so silent agreement that we would take turns sleeping for a few hours each which was in direct violation of the rules we understood when we were hired.
I went along with this agreement happily for quite sometime until the Pastor of the church I was attending then, preached on these verses.
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
After meditating on the lesson, I asked myself a question; “How am I giving glory to God by taking a nap”? I went to work that night and explained to the others that I worked with that I was unable to go along with them and sleep, but that I would leave it up to them to change their behavior, and would not say anything to the boss.
At first I was looked on with distrust b the folks I had developed a relationship with, but, that passed and it afforded me an opportunity to pray with clients who couldn’t sleep, which grew into a voluntary late night group for about 30% of the clientele.
God was given glory those nights.
This has been a long drawn out example of what the verses are about and it may seem as if I am blowing my horn, I’m trying not to, I’m just trying to show that listening to the word of God began to change me and the place where I worked for the better.
Try following the example that Paul laid out for us in these verses paying particular attention to verse 17, and see what happens. If we are able to be true to the teaching, then we should begin to see things change in our daily life.
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