Verse 2 “‘Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.'” (NLT) The ESV version says “‘Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.'” We can’t get caught up in earthly amusements that are worthless in the end and only hold us down. If something comes between our relationship with our spouse or our relationship with our kids, then we might need to step away from it. If something stirs up arguments in our household, like finances or where our time is spent, then we might have to sacrifice for the sake of keeping harmony in our homes. I promise the Lord will honor you for making a decision that honors those He has given for you to care for. Don’t get caught up in the things on earth. They are worthless amusements. Set your mind on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. That will help you live in a place of sacrifice in your marriage and with others. When I get frustrated with those I love the most, I have to continue to refocus my thoughts and tell myself there is nothing more important with my time right now than honoring my husband with a sacrifice of my time and serving him. This small thing is so, so, so important in the kingdom of God, not just here on earth. My actions let the devil know every day that he has lost. I still haven’t given up. I’m still doing the hard things to honor those I love even if my feelings don’t want to.

Verse 9 “‘Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.'” (NLT) The original Greek says this word means any kind of deception or insincerity. So basically do not be insincere with each other. It’s easy to say that we do not lie to other people or deceive them. But insincerity, guilty. We might not be sincere when we say we want someone to be blessed when they already have everything going right for them. That’s a jealous spirit coming out.

Verse 12-13 “‘Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.'” (NLT) In other words, we need to be patient with people who blow their top and bear with them, that is “long-suffering” with others, as they grow in their maturity to be more like Christ. We are the example of Christ to them. We are the blessed ones who have the strength of Christ who keeps us planted and steadfast and filled with His strength and peace!

Verse 15 “‘And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.'” (NLT) This is a memory verse for me. I keep it posted in lots of places to remind myself of this Truth. The peace of God should be superior in our hearts to all our emotions, which often hurry us into frustration, arguments, and grudges. It’s difficult to restrain your emotions. This is why we need to fill up on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will not only give us strength to help tame our tongue but also secure our hearts with peace. God‘s word helps tame our tongue. Our heart is where the greatest conflicts are fought. When we are reading God‘s word we are being filled up with his spirit. In those moments of emotional attacks – boiling frustration- in our heart, His Spirit calls to mind scripture, convicting us and leading us in the way to go. We were called to live amongst others as one body, the church. God reconciled himself to us through Jesus so that we would live in harmony with others. We cannot be in agreement with God and live in disunity with others. And the way that we can live in unity with others is by living in a place of gratitude in our minds, thanksgiving in our hearts. When we are grateful for others and for what God has done with our lives, we can cherish the relationships around us. We overflow with love for our family when we think of how grateful we are that God chose us, and He chose them. This is a hard one because at the moment you don’t feel grateful but you have to learn to live in a state of gratitude in your mind throughout the day. So when those tough times come, your grateful heart will not be stirred up with pain and fight back but will want to reconcile the relationship.

Verse 16 “‘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.'” (NLT) The Bible’s words should give us peace in our spirit and fill us with strength and wisdom. That’s our superpower. People want to know how we can have so much joy and peace in the midst of our circumstances… God’s Word fills our hearts and steadies our emotions and strengthens our minds with wisdom in all situations.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to set my mind on the things above, the things that matter in your eyes. Keep my mind from worthless distractions. Help me to be sincere and honest in love in all I say and do today. Help me to be patient with my husband, my kids, and others today. Strengthen my spirit to stay in the good fight and suffer well when the battle is hard. Bring your Word to mind in those moments when my emotions build up inside me so that I might be an example of you, Jesus, to those I struggle to love the most. Help me to replace those emotions with what Your Word tells me to do so that peace would come to me and cover my heart. Help me to choose peace and close my mouth when I’m tempted to react. Fill me up with your Spirit, Jesus, so that I might live in harmony and peace with everyone today. Help me to live from a heart of gratitude, always being thankful for the relationships and the life You have given me, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.