Elective: Colossians

Since Christ has come and the New Covenant is here, we must read and respond to God’s Word with this in mind. No longer are we seeing signs which point toward Christ. Christ has come. And we have the Holy Spirit. We want to begin to see the implications in Colossians for living the new life in Him. How are we to live now that we have the Holy Spirit living in us?

Prayer is an amazing privilege. Anytime and anywhere, we can engage in our relationship with the God of the universe through prayer. Unfortunately, we don’t fully appreciate how great it is to have a personal relationship with God. We’re a lot like a teenager who takes his parents for granted. But like a good parent God is always there, always ready for us to come to Him through prayer. We must learn to make prayer a priority. It is okay start small by reaching out to God moment by moment throughout our day. The hope is that we will learn to spend more time with God in prayer and through it God will transform our hearts.

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all… (Colossians 1:15)” This is the beginning of one of the most beautiful passages about Jesus Christ. Through this entire chapter, we are given a deeper understanding of Christ. We are shown how the Good News about Christ makes a deep impact wherever it is shared and understood. The impact extends to us. We are enabled and empowered to live a life that is pleasing to God. We can live with the understanding that Christ is supreme over everything and that He is supreme in our hearts and lives.

Do you believe prayer is powerful? This week we learned how our prayers are only as powerful as the God we serve. He hears and answers our prayers, but not always in the way we expect. The book of Ephesians tells us how God’s response to prayer goes far beyond our expectations. Ephesians 3:20-21 says “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”

Paul reminds us of the truth that we are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10). In Him, we have everything need. We are free from the bondage of sin and the principles & powers of this world. And we are free to live in the new life we have in Him.

This week we were challenged to examine the ways we are tempted to believe we are lacking or incomplete. The more we pursue rule-following and other religious behaviors, the less we depend on Christ. There are many temptations to try and earn God’s favor or to build ourselves up by our own effort. But we are called instead to allow our roots to grow down in Christ and to be built up in Him. As believers, Jesus Christ is all we need.

Learning to know Christ, walking in the Spirit, and allowing God to transform us are all integral to an active life of faith. Unfortunately, we are regularly tempted to do things our way. Our religious impulse is often to work hard at following rules by sheer willpower. This week you were challenged to make a daily choice to “put to death the sinful, earthly things” lurking inside and instead “put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him (Colossians 3:5, 10).” This involves setting your mind on things above and being ready to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are called to a greater dependence on Christ’s strength in our weakness.

True meaning and fulfillment in life will never be found by giving in to what our sin nature desires. This week we learned about the importance of finding meaning and fulfillment in Christ. One valuable way we can begin to live the new life is by practicing solitude. Throughout His ministry, Jesus would step away from the cares of the world to spend time with the Father (see Luke 5:15-16). Nothing in His life could keep Him from getting alone with God. This is a lesson for us. If we’ll begin to make solitude a part of our lives, we’ll soon see how God can use this time to transform us. Making time for solitude is an opportunity to “set your sights on the realities of heaven” and “not the things of earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).

“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:22-24).” This week we learned about the spiritual practice of simplicity. This practice can be misunderstood. To pursue a simpler life for the sake of ease or to have more free time would miss the mark. Jesus urges us to pursue simplicity in order to maintain our focus on God’s plans and purposes (Matthew 6:33). Paul also gets at the heart of the matter when he talks about keeping in step with the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:25). Pursue simplicity to align your heart with God’s. Meaning and fulfillment are truly found in Him.