Colossians 3:17 “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.”
In whatever I say or do, I am to do it in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God. My pastor shared the wisdom in this Scripture to my section of the church after our New Year’s Eve Service. It is supposed to be a theme Scripture for the new year.
Prior to the special church service where the congregation prayed for families, the church, schools, teachers, government, our city, our leaders and many other things, I had been pondering a new word for the year. My Word for the year is Pursue. The Colossians 3:17 special Word for me confirms that I chose the word Pursue. Here’s why.
First, I have a desire to pursue God by daily Bible reading and prayer. I love that pursue is a verb that shows action on my part to not just be a Christian but to also follow God in an intentional way.
Second, I discovered that the pursuit of peace is mentioned several times in the Bible. For example, in Hebrews 12:14, we see this truth: “Pursue peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.” In Romans 14:9, it says this: “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. In addition, 1 Peter 3:11 tells us: “He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.” The call to me is clear: do whatever I need to do to seek peace, pursue it and in so doing, it will build up others.
Third, the Bible tells me to not just pursue peace to also focus on other important traits. 2 Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith love and peace.” It’s interesting that fleeing and pursuing are mentioned in this Scripture because these verbs are actions to turn away from and head toward something.
I love this idea of heading into the new year with the call to do everything with thanks to God and in the name of the Lord Jesus. I am asking God to help me with what I say verbally and in writing on my blog and in other writing areas. As I pursue the Word of God and pray, I know that God will reveal what He wants me to share.
I am pursuing God and have asked Him to protect, provide, prepare and proclaim His truth to those who know Him and to those who don’t yet have a relationship with Him. I am so excited about 2020 and look forward to my pursuit of God. I plan to write as He gives the inspiration and know that if I remain in Him and He in me, I will bear much fruit.
