Colossians 3:16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
3:17. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Living a Christian life gets misunderstood as having to give up things, but it is a life that frees from the burdens that would otherwise make us miserable. This entire passage is all about living a life of richness. A Christian life is one of emotional and spiritual well being. It is the kind of rich living that never depends on how big your bank account is. It all starts with having Jesus fill your life.
Get more of the details by reading the entire chapter of Colossians 3. Verses 16 and 17 sum up the whole thing in a nutshell. Abide in Jesus. Let his teachings, ways, and attitude sink in.
Besides being wise and learning the teachings of Jesus, be mindful of what you learn. Some bible versions say to admonish. If you want to admonish, keep in mind one key word, “yourself.” Observe other Christians for the ways they are putting Christian teachings into use, but be mindful of the deeds that you do yourself. Admonish only yourself for your own lifestyle, not others.
Some bible versions use the phrase, “each other,” but it is actually “yourself.” Each of us are to do this, learning wisdom and be mindful, but each of us are to be most mindful that we do these things ourselves, even if others are not. It’s a matter of both taking responsibility for one’s own actions and not judging others.
With a life filled with Jesus, he can put a new song in our hearts. Songs of worship, Psalms. Songs of celebration, hymns. Any old song, an ode, but with an uplifting spiritual nature. I know that sounds too easy. The tragedy and drama of life is so great. You may be saying, “I just can’t get into all that fluffy Christian pop, or praise tunes. My life is falling apart. I’m facing some real problems here.” An underpaying job, or no job. A life threatening illness. A death in the family. Family members that are making your life miserable.
If your life is seriously in misery, go straight for the worship songs. I’m not kidding. Open the book of Psalms in your bible and start reading. You’ll find all the miseries of man there. You’ll also find God’s good word to counter each misery. When the misery seems to never end, be assured that it will, and it will come out the way God has recorded. Take those battles of life to him and let him fight them for you. With a few victories under your belt, a couple of those praise and spiritual songs might suit you a little better.
Final word. This is the most liberating statement for living the Christian life. “Whatsoever,” or for all the “somethings” and for all the “anythings” you ever do or say, do them for Jesus. Do them to honor God. If what you have done, or said wasn’t honoring God, it wasn’t a proper thing for a Christian to do. For the things that we do to honor Jesus, give thanks. Thank God for blessing us, and thank God that we understand how to return and share his blessings.