This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

I want to welcome you to Daily Drive Time Devotions. We're looking through
Colossians chapter 3 this week, day 4 of our look through this chapter. We're
going to look at verses 16 and 17 today.

Isn't this an incredible chapter of the Bible? I guess I could say that about
every chapter, but this chapter, it just distills how to live the Christian
life. And we began yesterday a look at four things that you and I do as we live
the Christian life.

We looked at the truth that you put on the love of Christ. You are ruled by the
peace of Christ. Today we're going to end that look by looking at the fact that
you and I are indwelt by the Word of Christ and we do everything in the name of
Christ.

That's what it means to live out the Christian life. I put on the love of
Christ. I'm ruled by the peace of Christ.

I'm indwelt by the Word of Christ and I do everything in the name of Christ.
Verse 16 talks about that. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you
teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. Now you and I get to know the Word
of Christ. We put it into our hearts in one sense that we know it, that we
understand it, we know the words of it as we do things like hear God's Word and
read God's Word, study God's Word, memorize God's Word, meditate on God's Word.

To hear it, you hear it in a sermon, to read it, you sit down and read the Bible
for yourself, to study it, you go a little bit deeper and you try to maybe see
what some of the words mean by looking it up online. You memorize God's Word,
you put it into your heart that way, you meditate on it. Meditate means you
think on it over and over and over again.

The idea here is studying God's Word is you don't just study it like a tourist
going through it once. You study it like an explorer. You want to get to know it
like the back of your hand.

And God's Word is something we need to know. But these verses say you not only
need to know God's Word, God's Word needs to dwell in you. Let the Word of God
dwell in you, live in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all
wisdom.

God's Word dwells in us richly, not only as it affects our individual lives,
personal lives, but as we share it with other people, as you teach, as you
admonish, and as you sing with gratitude in your hearts to God. You see, when
God's Word dwells in you, it affects what you say to other people. The word
teach there means you're passing along what God has said to you.

Here's what God has said. Here's my knowledge of what God has said and how it's
affected my life. The word admonish means you encourage someone else to live
that kind of a life.

So it's not just, "Hey, here's what I read in the Bible. Take it or leave it.
It's up to you.

" Here's what I read in the Bible and it's my life. I found that it changes
everything about me. And the Bible says that's true for all of us.

So I want to encourage you to live that same kind of life. Is there anything I
can do to help? Is there any way that I can pray for you?

That's where you move from just information transmission to actually admonishing
someone. You admonish someone with love. Do this with all wisdom, the Bible
says, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your
hearts to God.

God's Word dwells in you. These verses tell us that you have something worth
saying and you also have something worth singing. Now, to some of us, these are
strange verses.

We don't sing very well and I'd include myself in that list. And so if I were
just to walk up to you and say, "Hey, I have some of God's Word to sing to you,"
and try to sing it to you, that would be a sad moment. For instance, if I were
to try to do that right now, or you're listening to drive time devotions, I have
no doubt that if you're driving your car right now, you would have to either
stop this or pull off the road.

Something bad would happen. So if you're in that category, I certainly relate to
you. And yet, the Bible says we're to do this.

Now, what does this mean? This means what happens in church or what happens in
small group when we sing together. Not me singing to you, but us singing
together the truth of who God is.

If you're one of those people who shows up late to small group or shows up late
to church and never sings the songs together with other believers, you are
missing out on part of what God says we need from His Word. I need to sing
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with other believers. Why?

Because it lets God's Word dwell in my heart. It allows the truth of who God is
to make a difference in my daily life. Now, I don't understand all the reasons
why, but it impacts me at an emotional level that just hearing somebody talk
about the Bible does not.

That's why I need to do this. God's Word is not just a matter of knowledge, me
having some facts. God's Word is a matter of heart and living it out.

And that means it has to dwell deeply in me. And so we are indwelt by the Word
of Christ. If I'm going to live out the Christian life, I need to put on the
love of Christ, be ruled by the peace of Christ, be indwelt by the Word of
Christ, and then there's one final thing.

I need to, and this just sort of sums it up, do everything in the name of
Christ, 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.

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, whatever you do, do it in the name of
Christ. Whatever you say, say it in the name of Christ. Whatever, buying
groceries, going to staff meeting at work, driving the carpool, filling out tax
forms, doing homework, whatever I do, I do it in the name of Christ.

Now, what does this mean in a practical way? Does this mean I have to say this?
You're buying groceries.

I buy this broccoli in the name of Christ. Just say it out loud and everybody
looks at you real strange. Or you go to fill up your car with gas and you begin
to pump the gas and you say it so everybody else can hear.

I'm filling this car with gas in the name of Jesus Christ. Is that what this is
talking about here? No.

It's talking about what's in your heart, what's in your mind. I've always liked
the little sign that Ruth Graham, Billy Graham's wife, was said to have had
above the place where she did dishes. There was a little sign that said, "Divine
services held here three times a day.

" What she meant was, "When I wash dishes, I'm focusing on Christ. " Washing
dishes can be an act of worship. If you do it in the name of the Lord, if you do
it unto him, thank you God for the opportunity to serve you in this way, to
serve my family in this way.

What does it mean to do it in the name of Christ, to do all things? What's in a
name? In the Bible, the idea of someone's name had extreme significance, more
significance than sometimes we give a name today.

A name was an indicator of three specifics about a person. A name indicated a
person's power, a person's purpose, and a person's promise. So the name of
Christ, that's referring to the power of Christ, the purpose of Christ, and the
promise of Christ.

So when I do something in his name, that means I'm looking for his purpose in
what I'm doing. Whether it's a menial task, or it feels like the most
significant action I'm ever going to take in my life, I'm looking for his
purpose in that. It means I'm asking for his power to do that.

Again, whether it's a small task or it seems like a great task, I need his
power. And it means I am depending on his promise in doing that. To do something
in the name of Christ means I'm looking for his purpose, I'm asking for his
power, I'm depending on his promise.

2 Peter 1, 4 says, "Through these he gave us the very great and precious
promises. With these gifts you can share in being like God, and the world will
not ruin you with its evil desires. " So how am I going to do this?

How am I going to live out this name of Christ in my life this week? Well, as
you think through loving like Christ and having the peace of Christ and sharing
the word of Christ, acting out the name of Christ, think of just one place to
start. The name of one person today towards whom you need to act in the love of
Christ.

One decision where you need the peace of Christ to rule. One believer with whom
you need to share the word of Christ, or one person who has not yet believed.
One place that you can start acting in the name of Christ.

And let's pray right now for that one person, one decision, one place. Pray with
me. God, help me today to act with your love towards one person in my life, to
begin there.

And show me right now who that person needs to be. God, today I pray for that
one decision where I need your peace. Instead of worry, I need peace.

Instead of self-reliance, I need peace. Lord, I pray for that one person with
whom I need to share the word of Christ. Help me to know who they are and how I
can encourage them with who you are and what you've done in my life.

And Lord, I know I need to do everything in the name of Christ, but that begins
with one place. So what's the one place today? It may be a small place,
seemingly to others, but I need to start acting in your name there.

Your purpose, your power, your promise. Jesus, I come to you and I realize it is
all about you. It's about your peace.

It's about your love. It's about your word. It's about your name.

So instead of making this about me living your life, I make it in this moment in
my thoughts, in my mind, I recognize that it's about you and me having the
privilege to live out the life that you have given me. Thank you, Jesus, for
what you have given in your name. Amen.

Well, join us tomorrow. We're going to end our look together at Colossians
chapter three.