Do It All in the Name of the Lord

Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

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.

It’s only 8:15 AM, and I have already failed to follow this command! I used angry words and had vindictive thoughts this morning, after listening to something on the news. I was in total disagreement with the sentiment of the newscast, and I felt hopeless to do anything about what was happening. So, I prayed and prayed and prayed. I asked God for MY solution to the perceived issues and begged Him to fix things the way I saw best. I must confess that my solution was NOT loving and was not the way Jesus would have handled the situation, I’m sure. 

Realizing this, I stopped in my tracks! I sat down and prayed immediately. I prayed for forgiveness and a change of my heart. I prayed for the people involved in the upsetting news and asked God to comfort and heal us all; to lead us in the way Jesus would handle life’s troubles. It felt good to pray this prayer, and my mind was calmed. 

God brought to mind the Great Commandment to LOVE God and to LOVE our neighbor as we LOVE ourselves. I thought of the words of the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, who is credited with writing “Watch your Thoughts for they become Words, Watch your Words for they become Actions, Watch your Actions for they become Habits, Watch your Habits for they become your Character, Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny.” 

Those news headlines that upset me this morning told of the what-ifs all over the world, and my worry gene kicked into high gear. Shel Silverstein warned of the what-ifs in his poem of the same name… 

Last night, while I lay thinking here, 

Some What-ifs crawled inside my ear 

And pranced and partied all night long 

And sang their same of What if song: 

What if I’m dumb in school? 

What if they’ve closed the swimming pool? 

What if I get beaten up? 

What if there’s poison in my cup? 

What if I start to cry? 

What if I get sick and die? 

What if I flunk that test? 

What if green hair grows on my chest? 

What if nobody likes me? 

What if a bolt of lightning strikes me? 

What if I don’t grow taller? 

What if my head starts getting smaller? 

What if the fish won’t bite? 

What if the wind tears up my kite?

What if they start a war? 

What if my parents get divorced? 

What if the bus is late? 

What if my teeth don’t grow in straight? 

What if I tear my pants? 

What if I never learn to dance? 

Everything seems swell, and then 

The nighttime What-ifs strike again! 

Oh, how we, like Shel Silverstein, let our imaginations run wild sometimes! That’s the most important time to turn quickly to God! If we want to find peace of mind and contribute to the peace the world so desperately needs, we must focus on the central message of Jesus – LOVE GOD and LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS – ALL OF THEM! We must stand firmly with Jesus and make sure all our thoughts, words, and actions reflect the way Jesus told us to live. (And if you are like me, the thoughts might be the hardest to tame!) But with God’s help, we can! 

Let’s pray together now for his constant help… 

Dear God, please center me in your LOVE. Help me to keep my thoughts loving, so my words will reflect Your LOVE, and my actions will show Your LOVE, and my character will grow to reflect Your LOVE wherever I may go! 

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Bernice Howard.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.