The main battle field to grow in Christ-like maturity is not outside in the world but inside our heads in our minds. In these verses, Paul reminds us that it is all important for our walk to set our minds on those things that have eternal impact and define who we are as Christ followers. Unless we allow God to renew our minds by his word we will fall short from the life he has for us.
Our walk in Christ cannot be reduced to the moralism or ritualism of religiosity. As disciples of Jesus, we must resist the legalistic onslaught that seeks to conform us to the external conventions of human behavior and constantly recalibrate in our dependence on Christ for life. To grow into disciple-makers we must become less religious and more grounded in Christ.
Our journey with Christ is a developmental process in which we grow from accepting God’s grace in salvation into a lifestyle that puts his teachings into practice (our walk) and becomes ultimately rooted and establish in the very life of Jesus Christ. Along our way to maturity, however, there are many dangers and competing voices that will seek to detour our steps from ever reaching our destination of greater fruitfulness. In these verses, Paul shares his recipe for maturity- the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ for all of life. In Paul’s theology Christ plus nothing equals everything we need to live the fullness of life God has for us.
Our fast-paced lives naturally lead us to being busier, more stressed, and constantly exhausted. When we come to our senses, we are leading our lives as if Jesus had never been there. The rest He invites us to enjoy rapidly turns into a wasteland. How can we silence the oppressive demands that prevent us from entering God's rest?
When we pause and truly contemplate who Jesus is in contrast with our wickedness, if our hearts are not hardened by our own convictions and self-sufficiency, we will see that surrendering to Him is the only answer. Jesus, the radiance of the Glory of God, is the difference between Canaan and the Wasteland. We are ready for more when we leave our unbelief to find our hope in Christ alone.
Bucks and bodies have for long been metrics of ministry success. Leaders of churches with money and people are many times perceives as successful leaders. At their core, regard for these metrics alone, without the substance of spiritual maturity and transformation into Christ-likeness, betray the core of what ministry is all about. In these verses,...
We are not the Savior. Jesus is. There are many voices in the journey that seek to distract us and try to keep us from keeping the main thing the main thing. Jesus is the foremost priority of the church and proclaiming his supremacy and sufficiency the mission of every one of his people. In Col. 1:15-23 Paul makes no room for concessions when it comes to the supremacy of Christ, either he is Lord of all or he is not Lord at all.
We live in an age of low institutional trust. From politics to finances, education to religion, business to philanthropy, every day we hear of the scandals of those who use their power for selfish gain. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul articulates God’s plan to make his people, the church, a community of people who are worth thanking God for, a community of faithful, hopeful, and loving people. A healthy church is made of people who believe God’s word and demonstrate this faith with good works, people who are all in for the sake of God’s call.
What is the final destination to which the Shepherd’s call summons us? The final destination of those who answer his call is pictured as God’s eschatological banquet in his very palace where he himself is the host! God’s lavish generosity and life-satisfying sufficiency poured on those whose favor rests is the final destination of his people. Paradoxically, this banquet is also an invitation to the enemies of God’s people to repent and be reconciled with their gracious host. God’s gracious, ever-pursuing love for humanity is, thus, the rich and fertile ground out of which our mission grows. God’s Table is an invitation to dwell in his house forever. Until the Kingdom comes, there is always a place at his Table for those who would answer his call.
To be saved does not mean to be pain-free. At least not this side of the resurrection. Receiving the gift of eternal life assures us of our ultimate destination in God’s presence but also ushers us into a journey where pain and suffering are part of the Shepherd’s call. As we grow in our commitment to the Shepherd’s way, we grow from faith into hope. It is in this part of the journey that we learn to embrace God’s sufficiency as he overcomes our deepest fears leading us through the valley of the shadow of our own mortality. Victory over our deepest fears is possible for as the psalmist declares “I will fear not evil, for you are with me.
Conversion is our first step in the disciple-maker’s journey. We cannot give what we have not received. The Shepherd’s call is first a call to salvation where we turn our back to sin to embrace God’s life-satisfying sufficiency. Salvation is not about what we do for God but what he has already done for us.
