Jesus says to us in John 15:4, “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” For us, this means being rooted and established in the truth of the Gospel and trusting in the Lord daily. And from this will come a over-abundance of fruit in our life…of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
Tag Archive | colossians
Colossians 2:2 ” My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ…”
You may have been like me…your parents took you to Church every Sunday, you participated in activities at Church, and you even memorized Bible verses. You had lots of head knowledge about God…but it never migrated south to your heart. It wasn’t until years later when I had a very personal encounter with Jesus, that my life was changed forever. So what happened? We can go through life knowing “about” something, but it’s not until we come to the full comprehension and experience it for ourselves that it’s made real. When God reveals the spiritual truth of just who Jesus Christ is to us and that He died for our sins…there is no longer any confusion. For the spotlight of truth shines brightly onto our wretched lives, and we see ourselves for what we really are…a sinner needing salvation.
Luke 2:6-7 ” While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her first born, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
For Mary, this was her first baby…and for the world, it was likewise a new beginning. For Mary, it was her first labor and delivery in rather dismal conditions.. for us, it was the gift of a new start. It tells us in Colossians 1:15 that, “He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born over all creation.” When that tiny baby was born, the manifestation of God the Father came to earth to dwell among us. And when Mary laid baby Jesus in that manger, surrounded by livestock and hay, the preeminence over all creation arrived to light the way for sinners.
Colossians 1:6 ” All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.”
The Good News of Jesus is for everyone. It needs to be scattered lavishly and with abandon across the face of the earth. It needs to flow freely and without hindrance from the four walls of every Church… out to the hurting and lost world. So why doesn’t it? Why are we hoarding this treasure, just allowing it to circle around and around the confines of our Church rather than setting it free? Jesus Christ did not tell us to keep the Gospel Message to ourselves…storing it away deep inside, letting no one else hear it. No, quite the opposite, for in Mark 16:15 Jesus says, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” The Good News of Jesus is too wonderful…too powerful…too prolific to just squander away.
Colossians 4:3 ” And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.”
Paul was chained up in a dark, dank prison in Rome with deplorable conditions…yet his concern was focused on proclaiming the Gospel. So what’s my excuse? What’s my justification for not telling others about Jesus? How can I explain away the times I’ve had the opportunity…but didn’t speak? God will open doors daily for us to tell others about the spiritual truths of the Gospel…we just need to be brave enough to walk through them. I pray in the days ahead that all Believers be endowed with a supernatural boldness to reach the lost for Jesus…times are getting short.
Colossians 3:10 ” …and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
Once you say “Yes” to Jesus, you begin the life long journey of putting on the new person. It starts with the redemptive and restorative activity of God within. But what is it exactly that we need to be “putting on”? As we gain wisdom and a new self-perception that’s rooted in the Gospel of who we are in Christ, we’ll put on love…we’ll put on peace…and we’ll put on a deepening faith of who we’re becoming.
Colossians 3:8 ” But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”
Ephesians 4:22 tells us to put off our old selves…or rid ourselves of our old ways. But it’s almost impossible to do if you’re still hanging out with the same wrong friends… at places that got you in trouble before. Putting aside our old ways means we have to disarm our sins…exposing them to God’s truth and confessing them, but then ridding ourselves of whatever necessary to make a clean break from the past.
