Colossians Study pt.1

Being only one of eight letters written by Paul in the New Testament (Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, Philippians, Philemon, and 1 Thessalonians) Colossians is the letter that Paul speaks more of the importance of Christ than any other letter. As Paul sat in a jail cell he wrote this letter as a way for him to remember and remind others of the overflowing joy and comfort that can come through Christ even in situations when all hope seems lost. It doesn't matter where you are at today reading this, no matter what there is a burning hope inside of you that does more than just convince you to keep going each day, but it lets out the Heavenly Father that is within you. Colossians 1-4 all surround the themes of the superiority and core of Christ, the body of Christ, the true gospel, and the life as a Christian.

The first two verses of Colossians 1 is simply Paul introducing himself and his friend, Timothy, in the letter and praying over the readers Towards the end of the 2nd verse Paul prays that God releases riches and heavenly peace "through the Lord Jesus." When I first read this it caught my attention. This made me think about how everything we receive in our day to day lives is not a reward to us because of what we have done or said but is a gift being given to us THROUGH Jesus Christ. This made me realize that every piece of clothing, every dollar that is in my bank account, the food that fills my families refrigerator and eventually our stomachs are considered "ours" because our Heavenly Father has blessed us with it THROUGH Him and only Him. Nothing we have can ever be taken for granted because just as easy as He gifts it to us He can also take it away just as easy.

Verse ten is another one that I had to stop and read multiple times. Paul says "We pray that you would walk in the ways of true righteousness, pleasing God in every good thing you do. Then you'll become fruit-bearing branches, yielding to his life, and maturing in the rich experiences of knowing God in his fullness!" The word righteous is defined as "the quality of being morally right or justifiable." So if we are walking out a life that is righteous and pleasing to God in every single thing we do, only words of life are coming out of our mouths and our actions reflect the love that has been shown unto us. If this isn't the way that we live there is no way we can be the fruit-bearing branches that point back to the life of Jesus. And if that doesn't happen we can not mature and be trusted with the bigger and better tasks that are planned out for us and we can not know God to the full potential that we could. As children, we are always reminded to think before we speak or act. Sometimes I think it is still good to be reminded of this because if we act out of anger or speak something out that is not living there could be consequences that we never were expecting.

In verse twelve Paul informs us of how we could be living if we do live a life that pleases God. He states that "your hearts can sour with joyful gratitude when you think of how God made you worthy to receive the glorious inheritance freely given to us by living in the light." Our hearts canSOUR. Is that the coolest thing ever or what!? I think that Paul knew that this was going to shake some peoples worlds so he decided to completely blow everyone's minds and add in the fact that GOD MADE YOU WORTHY. Nothing you have done, nothing you will do, not who you know, not who you will become, not where you live, not where you go to church, not your last name, but your creator is the one and the only thing that has made you worthy of all thing! The best part about that is that you don't even have to pay for any of it. It is all a free gift to you and me because we are loved and cherished so very much!

Paul continues to write straight fire in verse sixteen when he writes "For in him was created the universe of things, both in the heavenly realm and on the earth, all that is seen and all that is unseen. Every seat of power, realm of government, principality, and authority- it all exists through him and for his purpose." This sent me into awe of God. Every little grain of sand and salt, every thread on every shirt, every dust bunny in every corner was created by ONE MAN. One all might, all powerful, all knowing God. I don't think I will ever not be in awe of all the time and effort that He has placed into making the earth the place that He wants it to be and that He created it to be.

As we get to the end of Colossians 1 we get to verses 21, 22, and 23. All of these verses are where Paul speaks into the heart of every person that reads his letter. He wrote " Even though you were once distant from him, living in the shadows of your evil thoughts and actions, he reconnected you back to himself. He released his supernatural peace to you through the sacrifice of his own body was the sin-payment on your behalf so that you would dwell in his presence. And now there is nothing between you and Father God, for he sees you as holy, flawless, and restored, if indeed you continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon. Never be from the hope of the gospel you have believed in. And this is the glorious news I preach all over the world." We all have gone through or will go through a time where we are more distant from God than we ever have been before. But even in those times, we can walk with our heads held high and our shoulders back because we are connected to Him. Forever and ever no matter what we go through in this life we will always be seen as HOLY, FLAWLESS, and RESTORED. And we will always continue to grow in our faith whether we realize we are or not. Jesus Christ is the strongest and firmest foundation that we could ever choose to build our lives upon. We never have to worry about it cracking or caving in because He is the strongest support and the only support we could ever need in our lives.

To wrap up in verses 28 and 29 Paul clearly states the exact reason he has chosen to spend his time in the jail cell writing this letter. He proclaims that "Christ is our message! We preach to awaken hearts and bring every person into the full understanding of truth. It has become my inspiration and passion in ministry to labor with a tireless intensity, with his power flowing through me, to present to every believer the revelation of being his perfect one in Jesus Christ."

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I just come before you today and thank you for everything. I thank you that you called Paul to take the time and write these words even though he was in a situation where there was not a lot of hope. I thank you for always being the light in those dark moments. I pray that each person would use the power of you that flows through their veins and pumps through their hearts every day to bring all the glory, honor, and praise to you and only you. I pray that they recognize the value of all the thing you set before them. I thank you for forgiving me of my sins time and time again and always seeing me as holy, flawless, and restored. You are a good good Father and I thank you for everything you have done and everything you will do. I love you so much. Amen