Since, then, you have been raised with
Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right
hand of God. Set your minds
on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with
Christ in God. When Christ, who is your
life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4
We have written about the book of
Colossians before and how Paul, the writer, is attempting to show us the supremacy
of Jesus Christ, the freedom we have in him, and the right path we find in
living our new lives in him. One of the
editors in the study Bible I use from time to time uses the phrase, "Don't
lose your head," in describing the mystery of newness of life. We are
accused sometimes of losing our head when we show our temper and make rash
decisions. But the writer of the study materials I am referring to here is
talking about the event of the head actually being separated from the body.
I am not a medical doctor but I do know
enough about the body to inform you when the head is removed, the result is death.
As gruesome as that might be to us, it's actually the message of Paul to the
Colossian church, concerning some who try to live the Christian life without
the proper respect and relationship to Jesus Christ. In fact, that is the
primary message of Paul in writing to the church in Colosse. The life of the
church flows from Jesus, its head, and the source of spiritual life.
It may seem strange, but some of the
Christians this letter is written to, had began to debate the truth about Jesus
being the head of the church. Bear in mind these were people who had
acknowledged Jesus death, burial and resurrection. They claimed him as Savior. Then they tried
to bring practices and beliefs from their knowledge of other ancient religions
and "blend" it in with Christianity.
Some of their beliefs had actually included the removal of Jesus in his
role of being the head of the church. (Sound familiar?)
Paul's message to them and to us is that
Jesus in not just a part of our newness of life, he IS our new life. That
prompted Paul to tell the Colossians it is "Christ in you, which is your
hope of glory." He then adds,
"If you have accepted Christ, you must continue to live in him, in
obedience to him, and grow in him." I particularly like the phrase from
Colossians 2:7, "Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has
done." From Paul's writing
and instruction here, we come away with the message that our total dependence
in spiritual matters rests on Jesus Christ alone. It is he that offers salvation, through his
death on the cross. It is he that covers
our unrighteousness with his righteousness.
In the beginning of chapter 3, Paul pleads
once more, "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your
sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the
place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts."
Having a rough day? Let heaven fill your thoughts. Struggling
with life's perplexities? Let heaven fill your thoughts. You name the problem......Let
heaven fill your thoughts.
<ronbwriting@yahoo.com>
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