I’ve been so struck by the truth of this particular scripture recently. It feels like there is a fresh awareness among Believers that we should not compartmentalize ministry & work & family, etc…instead, according to Paul, it should ALL be done in Jesus Name & in dependence upon Him! We are a kingdom of priests, created in Him to do good works and make His Name known to the world.

I read 3 different translations of this verse, and each one spoke to me differently & profoundly.  I thought I might share what the Lord showed me…First, in The Message:
Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. (Colossians 3:17 MSG)
Every detail in our lives, not most everything, not part of the way. We should be all-in. Our words, our actions, whatever (don’t you love that?! it’s so direct) Whatever aspect of life it is – DO IT in the Name above every Name. The Master, Jesus.  Is He truly the Master over all? Is He your everything? That’s what He wants. I was listening to an old CD set yesterday of Beth Moore teaching on Ephesians 6, and she said, “Let’s make no mistake, what Jesus wants is simple, it’s everything.” Amen.  And the glue that holds all of this life together, I believe, is summed up in the last few words, “thanking God the Father every step of the way.”  I listened to the audio version of a book a couple of years ago and again in 2013 by Ann Voskamp, called “One Thousand Gifts.”  Until then, I had not understood the meaning of the word Eucharisteo (which is the greek word Paul uses here for “giving thanks”), much less what it meant to LIVE in a continual state of looking for God’s goodness and giving Him thanks. Not just thanking Him every once in a while, but every step of the way.  Every detail in our lives for the Master, Jesus; Thanking God, the Father every step of the way.  That’s a good Word!

Now, the NLT (New Living Translation) which is the version of my current Bible, avails a word that strikes me, I’d love to know if it strikes you:
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:17 NLT)
We begin representing Jesus when we call upon His Name for salvation.  Therefore, when I speak to my husband, I represent Jesus. When I discipline my child, when I make a recommendation to someone as their Chiropractor, when I answer my phone or send an email, when I open my mouth to speak, when I get dressed, the things I “like” on Facebook, or tweet on Twitter, I represent Him when I’m alone in my room or in front of 100 people or 10,000 people, when I’m with my Biblical mentor or my best friend from High School, I represent Jesus. I am His representative in my conduct, my attitude, my focus, my thoughts, my belief patterns, my language, my outlook.  All of me, as a Follower of the Way, represents my Savior. How well do I represent Him?

Finally, my go-to translation for deeper understanding & insight…The Amplified:
And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17 AMP)
In dependance upon His person.  I’ve struggled with independence possibly my whole life. I’m not always right, but I have this thing where I really believe that I am most of the time.  Am I the only one guilty of that?  God has so kindly & graciously dealt with me over the years and broken the chains of pride and self-righteousness that literally have crippled me in the past. I can testify over and over to the faithfulness of God’s kindness to me when I deserved anything but kindness for how I acted and how I think sometimes. Dying to self has been the theme of my life for the past 2 years (my little boy just turned 2 this week…if you get my drift!). NOTHING like becoming a Momma, for the Lord to have a new & awesome avenue of revealing self-centeredness, and lovingly breaking you free from those chains.

In. Dependance. Upon. His Person.  I like my life so much better when I live IN Dependance upon Jesus, instead of living independently as the world says I should.  Praise His Name, we are all works in progress looking more like Jesus everyday!  This scripture came to mind just now from the Amplified:  Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who makes the Lord his refuge and trust, and turns not to the proud or to followers of false gods.  Psalm 40:4 AMP

We live in a world full of false gods, and yet we serve the One & Only King of Kings, so let’s let every detail of our lives speak, y’all…speak of His wonderful grace and amazing love and endless power…His Name is worthy of our everything.  Living Amplified is exactly this, a life turned up for the Name of Jesus, where every detail in our life speaks, in His Name & in dependence upon Him!