Colossians 3:1-17 is one of the first extended passages of Scripture I attempted to memorize. It’s worth spending time reading, praying, and reflecting on, whether you commit it to memory or not. The verses are a short picture of people who have come to a saving faith in Jesus, being transformed by Him into more of His likeness and nature.
Verse 15 says to let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts—and be thankful.
Verse 16 says to let the message (or word) of Christ dwell in you richly.
Then verse 17 continues, “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” (Colossians 3:17, NIV).
Whatever you do, whether you speak or act….That’s pretty much everything, right? So we do all those things in the Name of Jesus, giving thanks to God.
Right away, I can conclude that there are plenty of things that I do or say that should be ruled out if they need to be done in the Name of Jesus. This is what we would call sinful behavior, and if we’re being honest, we can pretty quickly identify that stuff.
Calling it out is the easy part. Ruling it out is sometimes harder. But even then, not sinning is probably the easy part to obey in this passage. What about all the stuff of life that we do that isn’t good or bad—it just is? Everyday chores or responsibilities, sports or recreation, social media, email, and just getting out the door in time for school? What if we caught the vision of doing absolutely everything in the Name, the character, in the power of Jesus?
“What if we caught the vision of doing absolutely everything in the Name, the character, in the power of Jesus?”
Can I go about my day being sick in Jesus’ Name? 
Arthritis, sinus pain, toothache, or migraine—what does it mean to do everything in the Name of Jesus? As Dallas Willard was fond of saying, “Living life as a disciple of Jesus means going about my day doing everything as He would do it if he were I.” I think that’s what it means to do everything in Jesus’ Name. If Jesus were me, how would He go about this?
You may have heard of my recent cancer diagnosis—stage IV colorectal cancer, meaning it has also spread to other parts of my body. I’m nearly three months into chemotherapy with all that goes along with it. How would Jesus live His life day by day if He were me? That is the question for me. And it is the question you need to ask God to help you answer, whatever life, health, or financial situation you find yourself in.
Don’t just ask for God to solve your problems and take away the difficulty. Pray He would help you be more like Jesus in the middle of it.
“Can I go about my day being sick in Jesus’ Name?”
There isn’t much that makes us more self-centered than being sick. Whether it’s a 24-hour bug, sports-related injury, weather-related pains, or even a terminal illness. To some degree, it’s easy to get discouraged, selfish, and irritable. But if Jesus was 100% God in flesh, I’m willing to imagine that He got the flu once in a while. Had to deal with splinters, callouses, and blisters working in Joseph’s carpenter shop. He had every reason to get selfish and irritable, but didn’t.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15, NIV)
If Colossians 3:17 says to operate our lives as if Jesus were running it, we’re going to need help doing that—especially if we have to deal with ________ (you fill the blank). For me, I don’t just need comfort from the pains and inconveniences of cancer treatments; I need God’s help to transform my life so that I can live out this season as Jesus would live it if He were me.
And so I keep reading in Hebrews for the way to do that:
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16, NIV)
