I thank you so much for your word and for the gift of friendship you have bestowed upon Angela and myself. I ask that you give us the gift of complete understanding, knowledge and life changing motion from you. Bless our time together.
Amen
1. This letter is from Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
Paul is stating his authority given to him by Jesus and God the Father. We can trust his word because he is "chosen" by God to take his place as a apostle. An apostle is a prime-minister in the kingdom of Christ, immediately called by Christ, and extraordinarily qualified; his work was to plant the Christian Church, and confirm the word of God. He attributes this not to his own merit, strength, or sufficiency; but to the free grace and good-will of God. He thought himself engaged to do his utmost, as an apostle, because he was made so by the will of God.
2. It is written to God's holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.
I love that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Through Jesus we are all one family and my dysfunctional human family is replaced by loving brothers and sisters in Christ's family. This truth is something I need to grasp hold of when life brings it's struggles and hard times. I have many sisters and brothers who are willing to lift me up in prayer and love me through the darkness of this world.
3. We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4. for we have heard that you trust in Christ Jesus and that you love all of God's people.
Other translations of bible call these believers saints which I think gives more of the picture. Websters dictionary describes saints as: one officially recognized especially through canonization as preeminent for holiness, one of the spirits of the departed in heaven or an angel, one of God's chosen and usually Christian people, a member of any of various Christian bodies, one eminent for piety or virtue, an illustrious predecessor. I love the picture the definition paints, a saint, chosen by God, recognized as holy by God. These people were faithful, loving, chosen, holy, and God can see all of this!!
5. You do this because you are looking forward to the joys of heaven-as you have been ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.
The happiness of heaven is called their hope, because it is the thing hoped for, looking for the blessed hope, Tit. 2:13. Things of this world are great but the things of heaven outnumber, out imagine, out shine the temporary things on earth.
6. This same Good news that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere, just as it changed your that very first day you heard and understood the truth about God's great kindness to sinners.
The bible or Good News is the life breathing word of God. It has the power to heal, to convince, to change one's heart and mind. Now that word is going throughout the ancient world and it is changing peoples lives everywhere. Now everyone is learning and growing in faith in Jesus. This word came to the believers at Colosse and they have been changed through spirit of Christ which has come to them also.
7. Epaphras, our much loved co-worker was the one who brought you the Good News. He is Christ's faithful servant, and he is helping us in your place.
I love that he is giving Epaphras credit for going before and telling the people the Good News, he exalts him for being a servant of Christ and for ministering to the people.
8. He is the one who told us about the great love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.
Here I think is the evidence of the people's sainthood, their fruit from the spirit. They have great love for others! A simple fruit but yet it is impossible without the spirit and life changing power of the Gospel.
9. So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he want to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom.
Oh Lord I pray that same prayer!! I love the vision of believer's somewhere all praying for another group of believer's somewhere else, people they don't know, yet they love them spiritually by lifting them up to God. The words "complete understanding" draw my eye, not a knowledge of what God wants but a complete understanding, a clear view, a plan.
10. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better.
Now changed by the Spirit these believers are living changed lives, doing good things, kind things, loving others. Through this change they come to know God more and more, they become more Christ like. This verse reminds us the only good comes from God:
Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father who made the heavenly lights, in whom there is no inconsistency or shifting shadow. James 1:17
I love your insight, especially about the simple fruit of love being what Paul chooses to commend in the Colossian believers. I also love the part about saints being recognized as holy by God. And especially about our brothers and sisters in Christ replacing the dysfunctional model of our families of origin. Hands down, though, my favorite line you wrote was: "The words "complete understanding" draw my eye, not a knowledge of what God wants but a complete understanding, a clear view, a plan."
ReplyDeleteThank you for doing this with me.