Colossians 3:7-10 Where do you walk now?
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: October 12, 2020 Colossians 3:7-10
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
(Understanding the Text) The sexually immoral lifestyle used to be the norm for the Colossians before they accepted Jesus into their lives, but Paul says that now there is no room for these sins. They are in the past, not the present. At first this seems to be about actions, but then Paul lists emotions and talk. Paul says that they can’t have anger, wrath, or malice. What is the difference between anger and wrath? A google search says that wrath is escalated anger put into action. “The interesting difference is, wrath involves action. Usually action with an energy of violence, vengeance or punishment. Anger is often expected, understandable, even if frightening, anger is normally a result of an activating event. Once it escalates from feeling to action, anger becomes wrath.” From <https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=what+is+the+difference+between+anger+and+wrath> . Put the anger away first, but if you have let it escalate to wrath, put that away too. If you have already let your anger cool to an overall feeling of hatred and ill feeling towards someone, put that away too. Don’t let your malice toward someone make you slander that person. Put away anything that smacks of slander. All of the previous ones seem to be related to anger and dislike. The final one is obscene talk. That seems to be different. We need to be careful of what we say. All of these demonstrate a lack of love for others, viewing people as hindrances or tools to be used rather than as fellow humans. Finally, Paul tells the Colossians not to lie to one another. Mentioning this here makes me wonder if it were a problem that the Colossians had. Did they lie to one another a lot. If so, why? Why were they lying to each other? Was it to cover their secret sins, or was there another reason?
(Revelation of God) The last part of the verse is a promise: “have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” It says that through our knowledge we are being renewed into the image of the new self’s creator. Our knowledge is making us more like Jesus. Jesus is motivated by self-sacrificing love for others. Paul’s point is that instead of treating others with selfish anger, we should be treating others with love, just as Jesus has treated us with love.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that I need to remember that I no longer follow the world. I follow Jesus. Thus, the world’s forceful ways of anger and getting even and outrage at slights and judging others as inferior are never my ways. I pray that my knowledge of You will make me more like You. Thank You for Your promise.