2016-06-24
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The historical setting in about 60 AD when Paul wrote his epistle to the Colossians was amidst the formation of the early church at a time when competition arose called the “Colossian heresy.” The latter led to the formation of Gnosticism, which will be discussed later in this series of devotions. Any time two or more humans get together, the potential for either disagreements or harmony is also present. The big question that each person had to answer then, just as we must do today, is: Do I want to lead a God-centered life, or a human-centered one? While the former is based on faithful obedience to God’s teaching, the latter is led by the pressure of human desires and can often have ethical instability or absence. We live in a time when there is plenty of opposition to our Christian beliefs, and we must lean heavily on Biblical truth to deal with it. In EPH 1: 18-20, believers are reminded that God, through Christ, has given us the power to dismiss the evil one in Christ’s name successfully. This is the same power the Father used to raise Christ from death to eternal life! We must remember, even when amidst the worst of spiritual warfare, to invoke this power. As a person who regularly answers seeker’s questions about Jesus and other spiritual issues, I have come up with four suggestions which I believe to be faith-strengthening. 1) Pray often, asking God for His help and remember to thank and praise Him for blessings already received. 2) Spend some time every day to study the word of God [Bible]; take time in between to meditate over any lessons/messages that God has for you. 3) Get active in a Christ-led church, one that bases all it does on the Bible and prayer. 4) Join a good Bible study with others, so that you can make lasting, faith-strengthening friendships and get to know God better.
Since this series of messages is about knowing God, it’s important that we know Who Jesus Is. COL 1: 5-6, 13, and 15-20 gives us vital knowledge about His attributes and deeds that we need to have. This is particularly true, so that we can recognize heresy/false teaching when we encounter it. Paul understood this, which is why, given the competition for pure Christianity in his time (and in ours), he felt it so important that this message be sent to the three cities and beyond that we find in Colossians. By virtue of being “the Firstborn among many brothers,” [RO 8: 29] Christ has given us the hope of the Resurrection. So, let’s look at these verses in Colossians to see just Who Christ is. COL 1: 5-6, [re: the faith you have in Jesus and the love for all the saints], “…the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the Gospel, that has come to you. All over the world this Gospel is bearing fruit and growing just as it has been doing among you since the day your heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.” This writer can attest to the truth of that from my own first-hand experience in witnessing to the truth and seeing the reactions of many during my In Search of Shalom secured computer chats. In addition, Christianity is spreading all over Africa at this time. Friends who are returned missionaries from Tanzania, for example, report the joy that has come to the many churches that have spring up there. The same thing is happening in many island nations and in aboriginal Peru with the translation of God’s word into native languages there.
COL 1: 13, “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Because of inherited sin due to the original sin on the part of Adam and Eve, we are born into sin and have a sinful nature [GN 3: 1-6]. God saw the need to bring us an acceptable Sin-sacrifice in the form of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. That Christ took away sin on the cross for those willing to genuinely repent and profess faith in Him, reveals the profound love that our Father has for us [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25]. Because we are still capable of sinning, it made sense for God, through Paul, to say, “All are sinners who fall short of the glory of God” in RO 3: 23. However, with honestly revealing, genuinely confessing and stopping these sins, we can be forgiven for them. God knows we are not perfect, but He works to perfect us in this on-going process called sanctification. Without faith in Christ, mankind is on the slippery slope of dominion over themselves by the evil one. To avoid the certain spiritual death this brings, we need to have faith in Jesus Christ. JN 14: 6, [Christ’s words] “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.”
We need to understand Christ’s supremacy and more about Who He is. That is why we must begin next week on a careful study of COL 1: 15-20. Suffice it to say that you are encouraged to read this passage and enjoy a more thorough examination of it and it’s blessings to us at that time.
PRAYER: O Dearest Father, once again we gather at the foot of Your mighty throne in reverence and awe of You. With heads bowed we acknowledge Your supremacy and sovereignty over our lives. We are able to do this, because we are learning of the extent of the righteousness of Your deeds and the love of Your heart for us. We don’t deserve this love, but You give it anyway. You have taught us, in EPH 2: 8-9 what grace is, and in (10) You let us know that You already have good deeds prepared for us to do. What that means is that You have created each of us with a specific skill set. We may not know all of our skills, but You will lead us in Your perfect time and way to discover these talents, if we obey You. There are many opportunities that You give us to get to know You better. We need to look for them and take advantage of these opportunities when they are presented. There are certain disciplines You want us to have regularly--things like studying Your word every day (including time for meditation), praying often (asking for help and remembering to recount blessings already received), making ourselves available when called to tasks for You, and reaching out to others with the Gospel. Worshipping, both individually and corporately, is important. We ask for Your help to prepare ourselves for better knowing You and Your Son, which is why we read these devotions and pray the prayers within them (among other prayers). We express our love for You, repeating IS 60: 1-5, “Arise, shine, for Your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears, over you. Nations will come to Your light, and kings to the brightness of Your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about You. All assemble and come to You, Your sons come from afar, and Your daughters are carried on the arm. Then You will look and be radiant. Your heart will throb and swell with joy, the wealth of the seas will be brought to You, to You the riches of the nations will come.” You bless all who faithfully obey You, and that is the blessing we acknowledge. We do so in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: As mentioned above, we will look at COL 1: 15-20, one of the clearest descriptions of Christ attributes and actions we have. It is such a privilege to write to you each week with the love I have for our Deity and His word [the Scriptures]. He gives us vital reconnaissance for spiritual warfare and allows us to know the truth. Remember that truth is defined, in HE 4: 12, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than a double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Scriptures are more than just a historical recounting of mankind. They contain the greatest wisdom in the universe, wisdom timely at any time in the past, present, or future [HE 13: 8]. Poetry delights our senses, and ethics gives us direction for our lives. These are to be lives which are saved, justified, and eternally forgiven. The goal is a sweet fellowship with God that is eternal once we return to His side in heaven. Love is defined in a most beautiful way in 1 COR 13: 4-8, and we are given God’s perspective on it in (12-13) of the same chapter. It is this writer’s hope you will reread these passages. Each of us matters to God, for we were created in His image [GN 1: 27], and when we disobey Him, we disappoint Him as our divine Parent. God wants us to know Him and to love Him, as He loves us. Fidelity, honor, righteousness, and the fruits of the Spirit matter to God and to our fate. God is rooting for each of us to overcome the challenges we face, often the dirty work of the evil one, and He created us to be able to do this. He gave us the armor and spiritually powerful weapons to have victory in Christ’s name over the evil one [EPH 1: 18-20; EPH 6: 10-18]. All we need to do is remember to use them! Praise and thanks be to our Lord!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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