I am reading the book of Colossians and have remained there for some time. I keep re-reading it over and over...there is so much in there! Here, I will write my thoughts of the truths that I am seeing...
So, Paul is an apostle of Jesus by the will of God. We are in His kingdom by His will! This is not by happenstance! We are chosen. We are loved. In verse 5 Paul talks about "the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you (me, us) in heaven." We have hope because we know where we are going. We know our final destination. We have a purpose for the journey when we know where we will end up. It gives us direction. It tells us who to follow in order to get there, Jesus. It says later in the text that Jesus is the firstborn of from among the dead (vs 18). So, He is the one that points us to our home. This gives us hope when we are struggling. When we are hurting and in pain. When we don't understand. We still have hope and we know who to look to to get us home. Not only does He show us the way, but He also provides the way, "He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." He is our hope.
"All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing..." What is the gospel, it the GOOD NEWS of Jesus. He has provided us with a way to escape our sin and the result of our sin by taking our sin upon Himself and acquitting us. Taking our guilt from off of us and putting it on Himself. I, for one, cannot save myself. I have seen the messes that I get myself in by trying to do things in my own understanding, which is faulty and skewed to my self. I have tried to change different destructive patterns in my life to no avail. I have no power to save myself apart from the one that created me and empowers me to change by His Spirit. The cross was the greatest triumph in the spiritual realm. It may have appeared to be a stupid plan, a ridiculous plan, and maybe even a destructive or senseless plan. Satan thought he had God now, that he won because Christ was destroyed, annihilated, done away with. He did not bank on the fact that Jesus would rise from the dead conquering death itself. What appeared to be one of the greatest tragedies of all, brought life to the world and defeated satan's plan and death itself. This is true in our lives as well. Some of the greatest hardships, the most terrible tragedies, and horrible situations- our "crosses" bring about some of the most victorious moments. The strength of the human spirit that is filled with the love of Christ. Forgiveness, peace in spite of pain, deep joy even in great despair, none can be explained in human terms, only in the redeeming work and triumph of The Cross! We see news all around us of the heinous crimes being committed often against Christians in many countries- the oppression of believers in China, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etcetera and yet their blood cries out for justice, their prayers and the prayers of those left behind do not go unheeded by their Father God! Out of these circumstances, the gospel is bearing more fruit and growing more than it would have in great peace. Think about the actual Bible and how it is one of the only books that has survived throughout the ages, "God's word does not return void." Truly, it is still here in spite of years of persecution of it's believers and many who would like to destroy it. That alone is a miracle beyond understanding!
The next few verses focus on the prayers that Paul prayed for the Colossians. Prayers that we would do well to pray for those that we love as well. First he says that, "we have not stopped praying for you..." Wow! Wouldn't we all love to know that there is someone out there who has not stopped praying for us. Have you ever noticed that most unbelievers are still agreeable and comforted to know that someone is praying for them? We all need to know that someone would take the time to pray for us and to know that there is someone greater than us looking out for us! We do have someone who will never stop praying for us and that is Jesus Himself. He is our personal intercessor...mediating on our behalf. We cannot ask for a better intercessor than that!
So, what did Paul pray for the Colossians?
1. That you may live a life worthy of the Lord
2. That you may please Him in every way.
3. That you may bear fruit in every good work;
4. That you may grow in the knowledge of God;
5. That you may be strengthened with all power according to His glorious might;
6. So that you may have great endurance and patience;
7. And joyfully give thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the
kingdom of light.
8. That you would remember that He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
9. In whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
Do you want those things? Sometimes it is just that we don't think we are worthy or we can't live up to God's expectations. I was thinking yesterday how we don't have to be perfect for God- He already knows us better than anyone else does and He is not surprised by the things we do or say- in fact, He already knows what we are going to do or say. He knows already that we are not perfect. It's like when you have a child and they act like a child because they are immature. As a parent, you expect your child to be immature...you don't expect them to be perfect...do you love them less? No! You expect this and you patiently teach them! They learn through failures don't they? Just like us, God's children. We are called children for a reason! We have much to learn...
As far as worthy...we are not...that's why Jesus came, to proclaim us worthy by His sacrifice! He made a way when there seemed like there would be no way! He is a miracle worker like that- He can make streams in the desert, He is God! We have to believe that we are now worthy because of what Christ has done. We do not have to walk with our head hanging and our feet dragging. We are worthy just because Christ said so! The only thing that we need to do is believe it! (As easy and as hard as that). The beautiful thing is that Christ helps us from start to finish...He softens our hearts, helps us believe, and sustains us through it all. That list is definitely what I have prayed for myself many times...to just get all that Christ has done on my behalf. I am convinced that is we really, really believe who God says He is and believe everything that He says, our lives would look radically different. Our lives would exhibit less self-pity, less fear of man and less fear in general, less self-interest, less wasted time, etcetera. If we truly believed in the power of prayer, wouldn't our prayers be more frequent, more fervent, more fiery? Do we really believe what we say believe? Why does our life resemble the lives of those around us so much? Shouldn't we stand out that people would see something that makes us "shine like stars in a wicked and perverse generation?
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