2018-05-11
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, I was commanded to write about angels, and this week, I will comment on COL 2: 20-4: 6. We’ll look at some of the main themes and commands in this part of the book of Colossians. COL 2: 20-23 tells us, we have died to worldly priorities when in Christ. Worldly rules may seem wise, but they lead to false humility. That and the worship of angels are clearly not instructions Christ wants us to follow. Being genuine and acting with authenticity are the opposite of these things and are much more the way of the Lord Jesus. Under Christ’s control, the body is nourished in every way and grows as God wants it to grow. Asceticism such as medieval monks practiced with severe treatment of the body does no good, because it has no value in controlling physical passions.
Moving on to COL 3: 1-5, we find a call to believers to transfer their thinking and priorities away from earthly things and toward the things of heaven. This is simply another way to express the concept of thinking in eternal terms. For example, when making an important decision, we must ask ourselves, “Would this please God for all time?” By this time, we should no longer be refusing spiritual meat and favoring spiritual milk [HE 5: 12-14]. In COL 3: 9-10 and 13-15, we find instruction to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. “Do not lie to one another, for you have put off the old self with its habits and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in His own image, in order to bring you a full knowledge of Himself.” This crucial concept can be put together with 2 COR 5: 17 for greater understanding. We are commanded to be tolerant of one another and forgiving. God reminds us to “forgive as we were forgiven” for our sins, as “love is what binds us together in perfect unity.” God gives us inner peace, which guides us in decision-making; for this and all He does, we should be thankful. God challenges us to do and say everything in His name and with thanksgiving. This means what we do and say, even how we think, should conform to God’s will and be for His pleasure. Tall order? You bet it is! However, the Holy Spirit gives us the strength and capacity for wisdom to act accordingly.
What follows, in COL 3: 18-4:1, are instructions for various members of the household that are specific to their relationships. For example, wives are to submit to their husbands, husbands are to love their wives and not be harsh with them, children are to obey their parents doing what pleases God, parents are not to irritate children, so that they don’t become discouraged, and other instructions concerning the slave-master relationship (which no longer exists in our society). COL 3: 23-4: 1 gives us these principles: Any work we do should be done as if we were working for the Lord and not just other people. We are reminded that if we conform to the standard that Christ has given us, the reward that awaits His followers will be given to us. Moreover, God judges everyone by the same standards. These are fair and just, as we have a Master eager to having us with Him in His perfect time and way for eternity.
Paul had some personal messages for his followers, which still apply to us today all these years later. Be persistent in prayer, keep alert as you pray, be thankful for blessings already received acknowledging God’s kindness, and look for opportunities He gives us to convey the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those willing to listen. We should also be respectful of the needs of those who are not believers and where they are in their faith walk. I found myself in situations where I had to witness to people who are Muslims, gay, Jewish, and other non-believers. It was clear that I needed to understand the precepts of their faiths or issues, so that I could better meet their needs. Of course, I can’t say that all came to faith in Jesus, but some did. To God belongs the glory and credit, not to me [PS 115: 1]. He was just using me to convey His word. And yes, there were times when I was met with disrespect, or someone said something to me which I found offensive. God has made it clear to me, not to give up and to have the strength to keep my
faith strong and have dignity. Believe it or not, God equips each of us for the way we should serve Him. I’m grateful for that and for the amazing examples other faithful people set for me to follow.
PRAYER: O Lord, we stand respectful and grateful for the power of the Holy Spirit and how He can place us in situations where we must use talents given to us to serve You. You command us to witness to the truth of the Gospel, to do so with calm, pleasant speech or by good example, and to be prepared to give answers using our knowledge of Your word. You have created us to be able to do this, and all we do reflects the status of our faith in You and Your teaching. We are often imperfect and in need of practice. Sometimes we are impatient and demanding. These things shouldn’t be our habit. Instead, we should always pray before doing a task for You, with the understanding that You will help us to be less imperfect. No human goes through his earthly life without challenges, losses, disappointments, and illnesses. However, You equip us to deal with these and other trials with Your help. All we must do is to ask for it, respectfully and persistently in prayer. We do so now, and if we are not sure in what capacity we should serve You, then we must ask You to show us in prayer. We do so now. [Insert your own prayer for your needs]. Just as Isaiah did, in IS 6: 1-8, we should listen for God’s commands and then follow them. Isaiah heard the Lord say, “Whom shall we send? Who will be our messenger?” Isaiah said, “I shall go; send me.” From the time he was commissioned to be a prophet, Isaiah served with distinction, and we will do Your bidding too. In Christ’s holy/ mighty name we pray, Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded to write about some of the supporting Scriptures to what we have been learning in COL. We will find this a useful part of our journey to better understanding of what our relationships with the Lord should be. With some degree of hindsight, I can look back in my own life to see the Lord’s hand in it. You all know that I was spiritually asleep for the first 25 years of my life. The incident in my 8th grade Jewish synagogue class which I’ve written about previously, was the beginning of me awakening to the fact that the Lord loves me and is real. Moreover, I realized that Jesus Christ is a personality of the Lord. This knowledge came to me by the Holy Spirit, and it came as a shock to me. It was after this realization, that the Lord took me (by the circumstances of my life) through four major denominations. He wanted me to learn from the inside out! For the last 28 years and over my life in southern CA, GA, MN, and now UT, I have been serving in Lutheran congregations. I was raised in a conservative traditionally Jewish home, so I came to belief in Jesus by design of the Holy Spirit. I’ve had the training of a minister on the job, including spending some time learning the rudiments of Greek and Hebrew, counseling, public speaking, and, to my great surprise initially, writing in English. Over the last 55 years of my life, I have spent considerable time studying the Scriptures (both OT and NT). I share this not to brag about my accomplishments, but instead, to offer praise and thanks where it really belongs—with the Lord. My life has been converted from misery and chaos to one of dedication to God and inner peace. It took time and enormous effort on His part to crack open this hard nut. And, I love Him for His persistence and goodness toward me. He is eager to do similar things with each you. I know this in my heart. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2018. All Rights Reserved
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