Motivations to Living Your Best Life Now

About this Episode

Motivations to Living Your Best Life Now is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast

In today’s reading, we see Paul completing his exhortation to the Christian to live a Holy Life. He uses the illustration again of garments to put off and to put on. In episode 46 “How to Break Free from your Past” we covered what Paul told his readers to put off, he called them the grave clothes of sin, the old life. In today’s reading Paul is sharing with his readers what to put on in order to have a new life in Christ. Today we will unpack 4 motives to be encouraged by that will help us walk in the promise of new life.

Read Colossians 3:12-17 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

First Motivation Paul gives us, is the grace we have in Christ. Vs 12-14
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Without being chosen by God first we would never have been given the opportunity to be forgiven by God. Paul is telling the Colossae church they were chosen and forgiven and that is God’s unmerited Grace. You were given this opportunity because God loves you and it has nothing to do with your efforts. Paul is saying because of what Christ did we should be motivated to live a holy, compassionate, kind life.

Let’s break down “God chose them”. The word chosen by God means the elect, to be set apart. This same meaning was given to the Israelites In Deut 7:7-8 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Next motivation Paul gives us is we’re motivated by the Peace we have in Christ
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

In this verse, Paul turned from Character to conduct. How can a Christian know when he is doing God’s will? One answer we know from this verse is he will have the peace of God in his heart. When a believer loses his inner peace, he knows that he has in some way disobeyed God’s perfect will for them.

Next thing that should motivate us is God’s word that magnifies Jesus
VS 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Last motivation Paul gives us is the Name of Jesus
Vs 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

In modern society, we pay little attention to names. But the ancient world held a man’s name to be of utmost importance. Often during Old Testament days, God changed a person’s name because of some important experience or some new development in their life. As Christians, we bear the name of Christ. The word Christian is found only 3 times in the entire New Testament. The name was given originally as a term of contempt, but gradually it became a name of honor. The name of Christ then means identification. We belong to Jesus!