“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”  Colossians 3:16-17 (NLT)

Having an attitude of gratitude is what Paul is talking about in Colossians.  He commends us to be filled with Christ and be used to bless each others lives with thankful hearts.  The ministry we have with each other is to be done with thankfulness because we are being representatives of Jesus to each other.  That is a staggering thought that God considers me to be Jesus’ representative when I talk with my neighbors, greet strangers, do my job at work and talk with my family day to day.  Our Jesus ‘face’ is not just for Sunday or when we desire to be like Him but all day every day.  Paul is teaching us that everything we say and do reflects on Jesus.  His final words on this fact are that we should thank God for all these opportunities.

Why does God say we should be thankful for these opportunities? The answer is found in Christ alone, what He has done for us-creates thankful hearts within us.  “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”  Romans 5:8   “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:23  As believers our hearts are filled with thankfulness as we look to Jesus- for what He did taking the penalty for our sin and giving us eternal life.

So today– face the world with the Love of Jesus in your heart knowing that you represent Him before all that you meet.  Thank God for every person and opportunity that comes your way with an attitude of gratitude.  Now that is kingdom living at it’s best!

Have a blessed day filled with encounters for Jesus,

Linda