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.”

The Bible gives us a powerful principle to live by that will set us free from a lot of religious rules and regulations we often think we must follow. Religion will bury you in rules and expectations.

But genuine faith that is authentic and real is based on a relationship that is personal and intimate. In this passage, the emphasis is not on what we do but on the motivation for doing it. Paul says, “… whatever you do, whether in word or deed…” He is not telling us what to do or what we should not do. His simple instruction is that whatever we do, whether in word or deed, we “… do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus….” Do you do that?

This is a bedrock priority in living the Christian life. Whatever you do for your career, whatever you do at home, in all your relationships, whatever you say, simply ask yourself, “Am I doing this in the name of Jesus Christ?”  If you can say that with a clear conscience and you are doing it in His name, then you are free to do it unless His Spirit checks. The moment you sense a check from the Holy Spirit, you redirect.

It’s like my GPS when I’m going somewhere I’ve never been. If I take a wrong turn, I see the word on the screen: “Redirecting,” and I know that I need to make a change, which often means turning around.

The Bible’s word for that is repentance. Repentance simply means that whatever I’m doing, if it was not in the name of the Lord Jesus, I need to stop and redirect whether it was in word or deed. This requires a sensitivity to listen to the Holy Spirit and a willingness to follow His internal GPS in my heart. The greater the relationship I share with Christ, the easier it becomes.

The Christian life is not a set of rules to live by but a person to live with – Jesus Christ. Whatever I do, whatever I say, should emanate from the life of Jesus Christ abiding within me. That’s what living ‘in the name of the Lord’ means. It’s not a formula or a tag line for our prayers … it is our deep commitment to make sure that Christ is central in every thought, word and deed.

As a Christ follower, my motivation in life has changed from pleasing myself to pleasing Him and bringing honour to His name that I now bear. As Christians, you and I always represent the Lord Jesus, wherever we go and whatever we say. We are His ambassadors in the world. All that our world may ever see of Jesus is what they will see in us.

The real question to ask ourselves, then, is not what am I to do, but what impression does the world get of Christ when they see me or talk with me? What changes in my life do I need to make that would honour His name? When we do that, we no longer worry about our reputation. Our concern is more for the reputation of His name through whatever we do or say. Bearing the name of Christ is the greatest privilege and the highest responsibility we could ever have.

Paul gives us the attitude for this exhortation in the final part of the verse. He says that whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus should be done with thanksgiving. If we cannot give thanks for what we are doing or saying, then we should not do it or say it.

So, as we seek to live a Christian life that measures the value of what we do and say there are two questions which should always be front of mind:

Can I do this or say this in the name of Jesus Christ?
Does it express thanks to God?

This should be our highest motivation for living!