Jesus – Three Minute Bible

March 29, 2025March 28, 2025

Colossians 3:24b – Serving Jesus

It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Summary: How we live testifies to what we believe.

It is significant that Paul should return to these words: “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” He has already told us to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col 3:17). Now, he points out it is Jesus whom we serve.

Why does he say this?

He has been talking about service all along.

Wives are to serve husbands.

Husbands serve wives (love means to serve – John 13:12-15, 34-35).

Children obey parents.

Fathers care for children.

Servants (slaves) serve their bosses.

And we all serve the Lord.

Whom do we serve?

Jesus.

How does that look?

We serve others.

In summary, we live the Greatest Commandments (Matthew 22: 37-40). We love God above all else and our neighbors, both Christian and non-Christian, sinner and saint, as ourselves.

Application: Always remember — It is all about Jesus!

Food for Thought: What comes to mind when you think about serving Jesus?

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.

March 11, 2025March 11, 2025

Colossians 3:16a – Got it?

Let the message of Christ dwell among you …

Summary: Reading the Bible is fun. Even the simplest little thing seems to open the door to endless insights about our God and his Word.

Each of these meditations is an invitation to join in our journey of exploration. We embrace God’s written Word at face value. We believe that God is real and that if he could make the world and everything in it, he could get a book published, too.

Coming at the Bible this way, we seek to avoid arguments about what people believe about the Bible, and instead, we look to understand and enjoy the message of Christ as it has been handed down over the centuries.

February 19, 2025February 19, 2025

Colossians 3:10a – A Wedding Story

Image shows a banquet table for a wedding reception.

… and have put on the new self …

Summary: Putting on a “new self” is a bit vague until we remember why it is important and what God has provided for us to put on.

Having taken off the old self, we need something else to put on, but what?

Have you ever stood in front of your closet wondering what to put on? Maybe you are getting ready for a special event like a wedding or a party. Perhaps you have been invited to be at a formal dinner and meet heads of state. Each of these situations requires a different type of attire. But what do you wear for an afternoon with God?

February 13, 2025February 13, 2025

Colossians 3:8e – Doom Loop

Hand holding a lighted wooden match with a dark woods in the background.

[… rid yourselves of] … slander …

Summary: By following each step in Paul’s thinking, we discover that he has something very specific in mind.

Let’s go back and review the whole verse so far:

“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander …”

Paul is painting a portrait of a slave to SELF. When we put our self-interest above God and others, we will always find things that offend us. The rest of the world is only interested in pleasing themselves, so since my SELF is most important (to me), it is very irritating when other people do not share my concern for my own happiness.

February 8, 2025February 9, 2025

Colossians 3:8a – Deeds and Weeds

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: …

Summary: Do we really have to “rid” ourselves of the things on Paul’s list of bad habits? The answer to that question leads us to a deeper understanding of God’s will for us. In the end, we discover that spiritual growth involves work, but this work is a response to God’s grace, not a means of earning salvation.

Our last meditation discovered an interesting link between our Lord’s parable about the kingdom of heaven and how we are to live our lives as believers. In our passage for this meditation, Paul doubles down on that discovery.

What was that discovery, you ask?

Simply this: God expects us to work for his kingdom while we are here.

February 7, 2025February 7, 2025

Colossians 3:7 – Working for Heaven

Illustration of Matthew 10:1-16 where the landowner pays his workers at the end of the day.

You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

Summary: It is one thing to understand that God offers us salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ. It is another to understand the difference between our lives before knowing Jesus and after.

After hearing that the “wrath of God” is coming, there is nothing more delightful to the soul than hearing that there is hope of avoiding God’s wrath.

Paul has just listed some of the reasons God’s wrath is coming. They include but are not limited to sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed. (Paul has other lists in his letters that are more extensive.)

January 22, 2025January 22, 2025

Colossians 2:23d – The Fourth Clue

Picture of Sherlock Holmes character looking at a clue.

… and their harsh treatment of the body …

Summary: Paul completes his list of examples of the characteristics of worldly rules.

So far, Paul has given us three clues to help us recognize worldly religious “rules.”

The first clue was that a religious rule would have the “appearance of wisdom.” This, we decided, would look like wisdom, but it would not be rooted in the fear of the Lord. By the same token, real wisdom brings with it knowledge and understanding. False wisdom, on the other hand, does not satisfy the intellect. Finally, real wisdom is “pleasant to your soul,” while the other kind leaves a bitter taste.

January 16, 2025January 16, 2025

Colossians 2:20c-21 – Rules About Rules

Picture of sign that reads "NO JUMPING OFF BRIDGE"

… why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?

Summary: Understanding Paul’s writings often requires an understanding of the world Paul is writing about. We call this “context,” but even that concept has limits. Because God’s thoughts are higher than our own (Isaiah 55:9) we have to stretch our minds to try and understand God’s.

Reading this passage without context is dangerous! It is very easy to look at Paul’s words and come away with the idea that Christians don’t have to follow any rules. Like most words in the English language, the word “rule” has many applications.

Paul is not talking about the “rules of the road.” Christians don’t get a free pass to ignore speed limits or drive toward oncoming traffic. We don’t get a “pass” when we go the wrong way on a “one way street.” Christians, like everyone else in the world, still have to follow the traffic rules.

January 13, 2025January 13, 2025

Colossians 2:19b – In Search of a Body

A crowd of people in the style of a stained glass window. Each person is depicted with an aura around their head.

… from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Summary: The body Paul describes can seem elusive in a world marked by divisions in the church. Exploring the concept in more detail leads us to a place of hope and introspection.

Paul raises a very interesting question in this passage: Does the body grow from the head?

It seems like a silly thought, but then I’ve never seen how the body of a human (or anything else) begins life. The miracle of life always begins hidden away from sight.

However, if we use the body as a metaphor for an organization, then yes, it begins with the head. Jesus is not only the “head” of the church, he is also the heart and the soul.

January 10, 2025January 10, 2025

Colossians 2:18d – The Blind Tour Guide

… they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.

Summary: In this passage, Paul returns to the basic principle of spiritual life: We have to be born again by the power of Jesus Christ to have any hope of understanding spiritual things.

As we begin this meditation, we should review where we are.

Most of chapter two has been about the dangers of false teachings. Paul wants us to remain focused on the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and not be distracted by anything.