Faith and Love

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS

FAITH AND LOVE

Col 1:3-6

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you.

NIV

There is a couple of thoughts about this idea of praying for others. First, Paul says that he always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when he prays for them. He is not saying that he always prays for them, but when he does, he always thanks God, and we would have to believe, he is thanking God for their faith in Christ Jesus. If we take this as a lead, some of our prayer time should include being thankful for those we have shared the gospel with have heard of their faith and how they have a love for all the saints. This might be seen as praying for all other believers, but it would seem this has more to do with including the time to be thankful for those who we hear about having faith and love who we once shared the message of the word of truth, the gospel that came to them. Yet, on the other hand, as Paul continues in this letter, he also says that he has not stopped praying for them. However, that still does not mean he prays for them all the time, that he is always in prayer and his prayer is always about them. The fact is he does not forget them. The idea or the lesson we might be able to take away from this is that our prayers should not always be about ourselves, our wants, our desires, seeking his direction, healing, provision, or whatever that has to do with us. We suppose that if we were praying for others, it would enhance our relationships with them bringing us closer together, being more united, especially if we were thanking God for their faith. However, we also could see this truth in an introspective way, which is us being like the Colossians. We would be the ones someone is praying about, because of our faith in Jesus, and of our love we have for all the saints, or all the other believers. We would have to agree our faith springs from the hope that is stored up for us in heaven. But we are also supposed to have a love which springs from that hope as well. Having faith and love because we have heard the word of truth, would certainly, or should certainly affect our relationships with all other believers. We would not have any ill-feelings at all. How can love include anything other than love? That would mean no hurt feelings, no anger, no resentment, no envy, no jealousy, no bitterness, or refusal to forgive, or being involved in gossip, or being critical or judgmental, or even prideful, thinking more highly of ourselves then we should, just to name a few attitudes and/or behaviors that would not be included in the definition of love. What all this which Paul gives us the example of here bowls down to is that the world does not revolve around us, we are not the center of everything. We are a part of the body of Christ, simply doing what all the other parts are supposed to do, serving the rest of the parts, with Jesus being the head. Each member of our physical body serves all the other members in one way or another, all fitting together as one united body, not fighting each other, but working united as one body. This is how the church is supposed to be and as one member, we must be about our part, serving the rest, united, not fighting each other. This is living in faith and love.

Grace and Peace

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS

GRACE AND PEACE

Col 1:1-2

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.  

NIV

There is only one smaller bit of truth within this introduction which we should briefly remember. Grace and peace to you from God our Father. Because Paul is writing to believers, this grace is not the unmerited favor type grace which is bestowed on the sinner when they come to Christ, the forgiveness of all their sin. This is that grace, the Charis grace which is defined as the divine influence upon our heart and how that is reflected in our lives, or how another lexicon puts it, the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace. Peace is also more than on the surface as the Greek word carries the meaning the tranquil state a soul assured of its salvation and thus fearing nothing from God, and content with its lot in life of whatsoever lot that is. Maybe that is not such a smaller bit of truth after all. How far better a life we have living under the divine influence of God rather than under our own influence or worse yet, under the influence of the enemy of our souls. We also have to admit our life is so much better being assured of our salvation and not fearing anything from God and being content. The opposite of that would be a horrible way to live, never knowing if we did enough or was good enough to get to heaven. To always be afraid of God, shivering in our boots, so to speak, that he was going to do something to punish us for every mistake we make, that something bad was going to happen. In addition, we would not know contentment, but only discontentment which would breed within our heart envy and jealousy, bitterness, and lust and we would harbor ill feelings toward anyone who had more or was honored more than us. How great it is to have the grace and peace of God our Father in our lives. Life just could not get any better. However, it could get a lot worse if we were to try to take over control. So let us enjoy this life to the fullest as his divine influence directs us and his perfect peace rests upon us.

Holy and Faithful

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS

HOLY AND FAITHFUL

Col 1:1-2

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.  

NIV

We have not gotten too far past the introduction of this letter as yet after spending time considering apostles and disciples and by the will of God. What we also see is that Paul calls these people, this church in Colosse the holy and faithful brothers in Christ. It would seem these two words, holy and faithful do not fully describe what Paul is saying about them. English words lack the fullness of the meaning as do the Greek words here. The Greek word translated holy is Hagiois and it can also be translated as saints. But the fullest of its meaning in regards to believers is to be set apart for God, as it were, exclusively his. But it also carries the meaning in the moral sense as pure, sinless, and upright. Of course, no man in his own merit is sinless, as we are also told all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. However, it is Jesus who makes us holy or sets us apart for God, or through Jesus, we are seen as sinless, pure and upright. We learned from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that God chose man to be holy and blameless in his sight through Christ, even before the creation. In other words, God’s intent, his will is that it would be through Jesus that we would be holy and blameless in his sight. So then that is why Paul can call them holy because he includes the words, “In Christ”. That is how we are considered as holy as well. We have no holiness in and of ourselves. If we think we are holy because of our ability to act fairly well, or at least appear that we do, we are sadly mistaken. The only holiness we have is in Christ. In addition, Paul calls them the faithful brothers, but also in Christ. This is an act of man. We are the ones who must execute or discharge our duties faithfully or without missing something, doing everything rightly. This would be applied to the command as to work as onto the Lord. We would do our jobs faithfully, even if the boss is not looking. However, our boss, the Lord is always watching, but how can we faithfully live without sinning, or always doing everything right or rightly? That is not what the faithful word means. It also means trusting, or persuaded. So then we are faithful in our trust in Christ. We do not have any doubts that Christ has taken our sin and we are forgiven. We continue to trust in the work of Christ, rather than our own works. Then this is sort of a partnership with the Lord. He makes us holy and blameless and we trust him to do just that. He declares us holy and we faithfully believe it. That seems like a fair and equable exchange. He does it, we believe it.  

By His Will

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS

BY HIS WILL

Col 1:1-2

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.  

NIV

Another letter sent out by Paul as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit, this time to the church in Colosse. Once again, he states he is an apostle, who is a delegate, specifically an ambassador of the Gospel, officially a commissioner of Christ, as the Greek word means which is translated as apostle. First, we would have to consider something rather strange. If that is how someone who is called an apostle is defined by the Greek word, then could it be possible that we too should be seen as apostles? Are we not a delegate of God? Have we not been considered as ambassadors for Christ? Have we not officially been commissioned to go out into all the world with the gospel of Christ? Another lexicon translates the word apostle as a delegate, a messenger, one sent forth with orders. Although it is true this word has been applied to the twelve selected by Jesus, it does not mean the title apostle can only be applied to the twelve or is inclusive to them. Just thinking about those twelve, who we first are introduced to by Matthew as he gives all their names, Judas was named as an apostle, yet how did he turn out? So, just having that title does not mean great men of God. However, there has to be some difference between an apostle and a disciple, although the twelve were also called disciples all throughout the gospel accounts. It was not until Luke wrote Acts that he referred consistently to them as apostles. While they were with Jesus they were disciples or learners. Paul, on the other hand, had never been with Jesus, he had never traveled around with him those three-plus years learning at his feet. Paul had this supernatural experience with Jesus, which resulted in his conversion from a zealot Pharisee persecuting believers in Jesus, to an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. We, neither, have been with Jesus, nor traveled around with him, learning at his feet, but we call ourselves disciples, for we are always learning more about God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, we also have been sent forth into the world, as Paul was. So then why would we not consider ourselves as apostles as well as disciples? It would not be boastful, as it seems Paul is not being boastful as he makes it clear, he is not an apostle by his own making, or will, but by the will of God. Have we chosen to be sent, to be his ambassadors? Can we make ourselves Christians? Can we save ourselves? Of course, the answer is no. We also cannot send ourselves. It is by the will of God that we are saved, and that does not mean in the sense as chosen, but it is by his will his creation can be saved through Christ Jesus. It is also by his will that we are sent into the world. Thus, it is by his will that we are apostles, ambassadors of the Gospel. Just as with Paul, we have been sent, with the authority of Jesus, to tell others about Christ. It all comes down to, by his will.

Giving

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS

GIVING

Phil 4:14-19

14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

NIV

This is part of the concluding remarks specifically to the Philippians because of their giving to the ministry of Paul. This brings up an interesting thought. It is apparent Paul knew it was the church in Philippi who sent him some support, perhaps in the form of money, or other material goods. However, we are also admonished that in our giving to the poor we are not to let our right hand know what our left hand is doing. In other words, our giving, at least to the poor, should be done in secret, so no one knows we gave, or how much we gave. This would mean no reason for someone to keep a record of our giving so we can take a tax credit at the end of the year. Jesus made sure to let us know that if we announce our giving, to be honored by men, we will already have received our reward. The question which arises from this is what does giving to the needy mean. The Greek word suggests a charity to the poor or giving alms. Is that different than our tithes and offering within the church? It would seem so, as this would be an independent giving to someone who is in need, the poor, who have no source of income themselves, they rely solely on the support of others, beggars as they would be called in that time and culture, such as Lazarus who was outside the rich man’s house. Still, this modern concept of recording our tithe so we can have a receipt at the end of the year for a tax write off may still constitute having already received our reward plus being honored by men. We have witnessed all too often the larger givers in the church being honored by the pastor, or are chosen to be on the church board or in some other way given special treatment. This is not to say we should not give, for the scripture commands us to give. The issue of tithing has often been a subject of debate as it is not actually spoken of in the New Testament, as it was in the Old Testament. Yet, those who lead the church, such as men like Paul deserve to receive support, as they labor full time for the sake of the gospel. However, Paul even said on occasion that he supported himself making tents along with Priscila and Aquila so as not to be a burden on those he was ministering to. What all this seems to come down to is that there is no hard-fast rule about the financial matters in the church. Yet, the Philippians, as the church as a whole send gifts to Paul. It was not a matter of individuals, but the whole church. Then we might think it would still be appropriate to give to the church so the church as a whole could support either pastors or in giving to the needy, but this would be simply giving from the heart, rather than from a rule. This giving then also should be done so the right hand does know what the left hand is doing which would mean giving without anyone knowing who it is who is giving. In our culture, that would have to translate to a cash offering, giving, and if we what to call it, tithing. Then we would never be in danger of being honored by men, as well as we could be sure, that our God would meet all our needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus.

Contentment

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS

CONTENTMENT

Phil 4:10-13

10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

NIV

The secret to contentment may still be a secret as Paul says he has learned to be content whatever the circumstance, but it appears, at least on the surface, he has not revealed how to do this. But alas, he does give away his secret. It is being in Christ or having our heart right with God, which is being in Christ. It does seem we want what we want when we want it for the most part. That appears to be the way of the world. Always wanting more, better, bigger, newer, shinier, brighter, more expensive, softer, harder, or different, of whatever it is. The advertisers prey on the discontentment of people, creating that desire, the lust for their wares, or lifestyle. We never have enough of whatever we already have. Discontentment tends to lead to envy or jealousy, comparing what we have or don’t have with what someone else has. What we have to learn is to live content, at peace with our life. We think we have. How much more do we need? We have everything we need. We have a place to live, even with furniture, we have a car to get to a job, which we have. We have clothes to wear and enough money to buy food to eat, keep the heat, lights or air conditioning on, and the water running.  It seems our physical needs have been met. We praise God we still have our mind somewhat intact, of course, we might forget once in a while, but we can still think, and even learn. We know being loved and what it is to love. What more emotional fulfillment do we need? Even if we did not have all we have and we were in need of many of those things, having our life in Christ should be enough. Paul says he has learned to be content no matter whether he has a lot or a little. Therefore it should not matter to us whether we have all we have or don’t have it all, we still should be content because we have Christ in this life, being as temporary as it is, will someday yield to our eternal life in that glorious place Jesus has prepared for us. Jesus taught so much about how precious we are to God and that he would care for us. He taught us we should not be anxious about tomorrow or what we would eat or wear or live, for God cares for us. This is what Paul is saying about being content. Contentment is trusting in God, rather than in self. We can never provide enough needs to satisfy our discontentment, so we are left with the only hope of complete faith and trust in God in order to be content whatever the circumstances.

Watch Those Thoughts

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS

WATCH THOSE THOUGHTS

Phil 4:8-9

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

NIV

This is all about the renewing of our minds. In the flesh, it is not the most natural of thoughts that are enumerated for us here. Many times we are not thinking about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and excellent and praiseworthy. However, as we are in the process of having our mind renewed we do wander into those thoughts from time to time. It does seem all those types of thoughts enter our minds more often, but we still have to admit they are not our central theme of thinking at all times. Why does our mind wander off into other thoughts is still a mystery. We would think we should be in complete control of our thought life, but it seems it has a life of its own. Our brain, our thoughts are part of our body, and as such should be under our control. It should be simply a matter of choice as to what we think about, yet there come thoughts that simply show up that are not on this list. Are those thoughts coming from the old mind, the one or part of our mind that has not yet been completely renewed? How is that possible if we have given our life, our body over to Christ? If we no longer live, but it is Christ who lives in us, then all our thoughts should be within the parameters of this list. We do make every effort to live our lives based on the truth, so then we have to be thinking about what is true most of the time. At least that is a good start on this list. Perhaps the idea here is that when temptations are presented to us, we have the opportunity to consider how we should think and having the knowledge of this list should give us the advantage to resist the wrong type of thinking regarding any particular temptation. If we did keep our thoughts contained in the ideas of this list, then our relationships with others should certainly improve. We would never have thoughts of envy, jealousy, bitterness, or anger toward anyone. We would absolutely never gossip about anyone, nor would we be judgmental, or critical of them. In addition, we would never have prideful or boastful thoughts about how good we are, or in regard to any, what we might think are great accomplishments.  If we were able to have all these types of thoughts in the forefront of our mind, then perhaps we might also be able to expect others to learn and receive or hear or see in us something to put into practice. How can we be a good example for others if we are not thinking about such thoughts listed, and living our lives based on that type of thinking? This is where the Spirit has to be a great benefit, as one of the fruit he manifests in us is self-control. So then having this list as a reminder, we continue the renewing of our minds, with the help of the Spirit. Let us watch those thoughts.