Thanksgiving

 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/col.3.17.ESV

If we say and do everything in Christ's name, there'll be certain things we won't say or do at all. It's not possible to swear or to cheat in Jesus's name for example, so we wouldn't do that. If we can't do something with the Lord's blessing, we shouldn't do it at all.

On the other hand, if we say and do things in Jesus's name, there's certain things we might not naturally say or do that we will say or do. So we will be ambassadors for Christ. In our words and deeds, we will consciously represent Him.

If we were to lie and steal for example, that wouldn't make us good ambassadors of Christ. Instead, we should be honest and generous with people. By doing so, we will be good witnesses for Him.

This verse isn't about pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. It's about being defined by thankfulness to God that we're able to serve Him and honour Him in our lives. It's all because of Christ crucified on our behalf.

'God our Father, we thank You for sending Your Son to give His life for us. May we give our lives for Him in all we do. In His name we pray, amen'

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