May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace (Ephesians 1:2).

Yesterday we looked at how God’s grace plans for our future. We were made for a reason and we were saved for a reason. God equips us for that plan by giving us many gifts – gifts that change us into the person He planned for us to be all along. Let’s look at the gifts mentioned by Paul in the first two chapters of Ephesians.

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you (Eph. 1:15-16a).

Faith and love – these two gifts are often mentioned together. When we walk in God’s plan for our life, we naturally begin to love those around us more and more. Perhaps you noticed these are both fruits of the Spirit. When we are connected to the vine (John 15), the Spirit does a work in our lives and we begin to produce fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God (Eph. 1:16b-17).

I see a few gifts from God in this sentence. First of all, let’s look at prayer. Have you considered recently how blessed we are to have a God who wants to hear from us and who wants to give us what we ask for? The gift He wants us to ask for so that He can give it to us generously (James 1:5) is spiritual wisdom and insight. He has a plan for our lives and desires to equip us with the wisdom we need to walk in that plan.

There is one more gift I see here – growth. God’s plan includes the blessing of growing in our relationship with Him, growing in our faith, and growing in our knowledge of God. This growth occurs when we know God personally and experience Him daily. It is so much more than an intellectual knowledge of our Creator. When we walk in God’s plan for our life, it is a relationship where God walks with us each step of the way.

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called – his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance (Eph. 1:18).

The gift of hope is one of my favorites. Let’s look at what the next chapter says about this hope God gives us:

Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders…You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. BUT NOW you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ (Eph.2:11-13).

Thank God that He brings us from a state of hopelessness to a confident hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. When we walk in God’s plan for our life, we don’t see aimless wandering but we see that God has a plan for our life – one full of hope for the future (Jer. 29:11).

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe in him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right and in the heavenly realms (Eph. 1:19-20).

When we walk in God’s plan for our life, there is power. The same power that raised Jesus to life is available to us today. You probably already knew this but did you catch in verse 19 that He also wants to give us understanding of the incredible greatness of God’s power. I think that is a gift from God I have only scratched the surface of. Lord, give me a greater understanding of just how powerful you are so that I can walk in your plan with confident hope knowing that this power is available to me.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us all along (Eph 2:8-10).

When we walk in God’s plan for our life, we walk humbly knowing that we deserve none of the lavish gifts He bestows. It is by grace that He loves us; it is by grace that He saves us; it is by grace that He walks with us in a specific plan for our life.

When we walk in God’s plan for our life, the Spirit produces faith and love along with all the fruits that are naturally produced from His presence. When we walk in God’s plan for our life, we pray to Him, asking for spiritual wisdom and insight, and we grow in our knowledge of who God is and what His plan for our life is. When we walk in God’s plan for our life, we experience a confident hope in our future. When we walk in God’s plan for our life, we pray for an understanding of the incredible greatness of God’s power available for us who believe in Him. When we walk in God’s plan for our life, we see ourselves through the eyes of God – a Masterpiece He has created for a purpose and saved for a purpose.

Once we were dead, but God, in His great mercy, loved us enough to give us life when He raised Jesus from the dead. Once we were dried bones, condemned by our own sin. Now we are God’s masterpiece – created anew in Christ Jesus. Why? Why would God do this for us? How could He look at us with eyes of grace and give us another chance. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians gives us an idea.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. – Ephesians 2:10

God had a plan for Paul and He has a plan for us – so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. God has a plan for each one of us. He saved us for a reason, for a purpose. So in order for us to live up to our created purpose, we ask this question: What were we made for and what were we saved for?

Ephesians 1:1 – This letter is from Paul, CHOSEN BY THE WILL OF GOD to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.

Paul greets the holy people in Ephesus, those who were faithful followers of Christ Jesus, by pointing out that he has been sent by God to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was CHOSEN by God and is now an apostle because it is the WILL OF GOD – God’s specific plan for his life. Just as God had a plan for Paul’s life, He has a plan for my life and for yours.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace (1:2).

This is a common greeting for the apostle Paul but he goes on in his letter to elaborate on the grace and the peace that God gives us – the grace that plans for our future and the peace that He gives as we walk in His plan.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us to be holy and without fault in his eyes (1:3-4).

What were we made for and what were we saved for – to be holy and without fault in his eyes. How is it possible to be without fault in God’s eyes? The answer can be found in the previous sentence – because we are united with Christ.

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure (1:5).

Read that again and let it wash over you fresh and new this morning. This is what he WANTED to do, and it gave him great pleasure. What were we made for and what were we saved for – to be adopted into his own family through Jesus Christ because He WANTS to be our Father, because it brings Him great pleasure to call us His own.

Stop.

Soak it in.

He WANTS to your Father, because it brings Him great pleasure to call you His own. He looks at you – the one He created and the one He adopted – and experiences joy at the very thought of you. No wonder He has a plan for your life. He loves you. The plan God has for my life and yours is all a part of the plan He had for His Son.

So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is SO rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles who have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, HE IDENTIFIED YOU AS HIS OWN by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him (Eph. 1:6-14).

What were we made for and what were we saved for – to be filled with His Spirit, to receive the inheritance that is ours through Christ Jesus and to praise and glorify God! Precious Father, fill us with Your Spirit today! May every word we speak and every decision we make glorify you, for you are worthy of all of our praise! Help us to fully understand today what we were made for and what we were saved for.

I have really enjoyed studying Paul’s letters over the last couple of months. This morning, I looked at another of Paul’s prison letters. Paul’s letter to Philemon is the shortest of his letters. He was writing to Philemon and his church to let them know that his runaway slave, Onesimus, is returning home. Paul was in prison while writing this letter and perhaps that is where he met Onesimus. There are two strong messages in Paul’s letter to Philemon, Onesimus’ master – forgiveness and genuine love.

Paul is sort of writing a letter of recommendation. He is sending Onesimus back to his master to ask for forgiveness and devote himself to him. Paul wants Philemon to see his slave as his brother in Christ and extend forgiveness to him. Paul speaks of Philemon’s faith in the Lord Jesus and his love for all of God’s people. He is trying to help Philemon identify his slave as one of God’s people to be loved in this same way, despite the way in which he has wronged his master.

And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do. But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you…I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus…Onesimus hasn’t been much help to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us. I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my heart (Philemon 6-12).

How often do we hold on to hard feelings or grudges out of a sense of justice? We have every right to be angry and the other person has no right to be forgiven, yet God makes it clear that we are to forgive others if we want Him to forgive us.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. – Ephesians 4:32

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. – Colossians 3:13

As the Lord forgave you…My mind goes to Christ’s example of forgiveness He displayed while on the cross. Jesus was between two criminals – one shouting out condemnation and insults to him, one begging for forgiveness and grace. Jesus set the bar high for us. Even while dying for this criminal’s sins, as well as for my sins and your sins, Jesus was willing to forgive this man and offer him eternal life.

Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified – one on his right and one on his left.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:32-34a).

One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself – and us, too, while you’re at it!”

And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” – Luke 23:39-43

Jesus, thank you for giving your life for me. Thank you for your willingness to die for all of our sins in order that we might experience eternal life. Lord, may your Spirit reveal in me any unforgiveness or unresolved hurt or anger toward anyone. Thank you for forgiving me. Give me the strength to always extend that same forgiveness to others, even if they are not apologetic. May my focus always be on You and not on me or on others. I love you, Jesus! Amen.

As we finish up Paul’s letter to the Colossians, consider who you can relate to the most from this early body of believers. There was Tychicus – a beloved brother, a faithful helper in the work of the Lord and an encourager of others. Then there was Onesimus – a faithful and beloved brother, one who could relate to others because he was one of them. And let’s not forget Epaphras – a prayer warrior who prayed earnestly and hard for his fellow believers. But let’s consider one more person in this letter, the person Paul perhaps could relate to the most – Archippus.

“Be sure to carry out the ministry God gave you.” This is Paul’s advice to Archippus in Colossians 4:17. I wonder what the story is behind this advice. Perhaps Archippus was running from what God had called him to do, not out of willful disobedience but because he was convinced he had missed his chance. Perhaps Archippus was settling for plan B because he did not accept God’s will when he was first called by God.

Paul understood what it means to be called by God for a specific purpose. Paul said he was chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ (Colossians 1:1), that he was appointed as God’s servant to proclaim the good news (1:23) and given the responsibility of serving His church by proclaiming the entire message of Christ (1:25). But Paul did not start his adulthood following God’s plan for his life. He was actively involved in the Jewish religion but had not surrendered to the Lordship of Christ and His plan for Paul’s life. God took great measures to get Paul’s attention on the road to Damascus, bringing him back to the true purpose of his life.

Paul had much to be ashamed of as he accepted God’s call on his life. He could have walked away saying, “I’m not worthy of this call” but instead he accepted what Jesus did on the cross for him and walked into the forgiven life, willing to be and do whatever God created him for.

Paul reminds me a lot of my father, who was called as a teenager to preach God’s word yet resisted God’s plan for his life, completely walking away from both God and the Church. At the age of 34, he stopped running and accepted God’s call into full-time ministry. After 32 years as a pastor, he is now retired but continues to serve God in the Church knowing that his life is not his own, but that he has been chosen by God.

Paul reminds us that we, too, have been rescued from darkness (Colossians 1:13). We were once far away from God but Christ died so we could be reconciled to Him and brought into the presence of God “holy and blameless,” without a single fault (1:21-22). The enemy tries to convince us we are not worthy of what God is calling us to do. But hear this today: You were dead because of your sins but God made you alive with Christ when he forgave ALL your sins. He canceled the record of the charges against you and took it away by nailing it to the cross (2:13-14).

God chose you and God is calling you. It’s time to stop running and “complete the work you have received in the Lord” (Colossians 4:17). The fact that you ran from God’s call no longer matters. The past regrets are just that – past. It no longer matters how you have sinned, but Christ is all that matters and He lives in you (3:11). You died to this life and your real life is now hidden with Christ in God (3:3). And not only are you with Christ, Christ lives in you (1:27). His power is at work within you, giving you the strength to work hard for Him (1:27).

And so my prayer for you today echoes Paul’s desires for the Colossians. I pray that God will give you complete knowledge of his will, that you will have spiritual wisdom and understanding as you continue to follow Him. I pray you will represent Christ today – clothed in love and accessorized with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness as an outflow of Christ living in you. I pray you will work willingly, making the most of every opportunity. I pray you will fully accept what God is asking you to do today with no resistance.

Paul sure could have used email or facebook. He had so many people he was keeping in touch with, concerned about and preaching to. Of course, he had no idea centuries later he would still be teaching us. Without the postal service or social media, Paul had to rely on friends to deliver his letters and tell others about his ministry. The benefit of these letters was multiplied by the servants of Christ who hand delivered the letters.

Oh how God’s letters to us are multiplied by those He sends into our lives to carry His word into our presence as we enter His. There are many preachers, teachers, evangelists and authors who have helped me understand God’s word over the course of my life. As I read through the last section of Colossians this morning while thoroughly enjoying a hot cup of my morning coffee, I began thinking of all the people God has sent into my life for the very same reason Paul was sending friends into the lives of the Christians in Colosse.

Tychicus will send you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work. I have sent him to you for this very purpose – to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you (Colossians 4:7-8).

My mind immediately goes to those God has called to the same ministry He has called me – those I learn from and am daily encouraged by as we partner together in the Lord’s work. They are faithful and helpful. They are “beloved brothers” whom I love like family! Let’s stop and thank God for the “Tychicus” in our lives.

I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will tell you everything that’s happening here (Colossians 4:9).

Have you ever had a friend who just “gets you” – someone who understands you consistently, laughs with you when no one else gets it, and someone you could tell anything and they would still accept you? I cannot imagine my life without “Onesimus” and so I take time this morning to thank God for the friends who play this role in my life.

As you were instructed before, make Mark welcome IF he comes your way (Colossians 4:10b).

There are some people God sends into our lives not only for our benefit but so we can reach out to them. God wants to use us in the lives of others today. Maybe the “Mark” in your life is unpredictable, like this one who might show up in Colosse. Maybe the reason God sends someone into your life is not about you but about how God wants to work through you – which amazingly God uses to strengthen us and make us who He created us to be. So I guess we benefit after all! Let’s have our eyes wide open so we can see “Mark” for who he is, should he show up today.

This next one is my favorite and I wholeheartedly thank God for these people in my life!

Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays EARNESTLY for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God. I can assure you that he prays HARD for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:12-13).

I’m so thankful this morning for the prayer warriors in my life. I do not know where I would be if it was not for the many people who have EARNESTLY prayed for me. Their prayers for me have been for protection and provision, for blessings and for wisdom. They have prayed for God to make me strong in difficult situations and for His Holy Spirit to produce holiness in my life. They have prayed for God’s will to be clear and for my heart to obediently pursue that path. I am so thankful for my parents, my in-laws, and for the many other people who consistently pray HARD for me and my family.

Let’s turn this around and look at who God is calling us to be in the lives of other people. Are you Tychicus, Onesimus or Epaphras? Who is God asking you to teach and encourage today? Who is God calling you to be a faithful and beloved friend to? Here’s the big one for me: Who am I praying for today and how am I going to pray? Can my prayers be defined as earnest? Do I pray hard for the requests others bring before me. What a great challenge for me today! I think it’s time for me to stop writing and start praying…

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart (Colossians 4:2).

Paul is instructing the believers to not only take time to pray but to DEVOTE themselves to prayer. That is a much stronger word and I have to ask myself if I am truly devoted to prayer. Will it take top priority in my day?

Then Paul adds to pray with a thankful heart. Oh how I love to thank God, to stop and consider all I have to be thankful for and praise Him for the many blessings He gives me every day. This is an element to my prayers that I not only NEED to add, I WANT to add. When I come to God with a thankful heart, it affects my attitude toward everything else.

The NLT Study Bible explains that “with an alert mind” is referring to the Greek verb used in the New Testament exhorting Christians to be watchful in light of Christ’s return. I have to admit that I rarely think of Christ’s return. I stay focused on today and prepared for tomorrow without considering the possibility of His second coming. But Paul is asking them to keep their mind alert to the possibility that Christ could return at any moment. The next verses explain why this is important.

Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone (Colossians 4:3-6).

This puts new light on the last verse, which I added to my morning coffee yesterday. When we keep the reality of Christ’s return as context for our day, we see the non-Christians around us differently. An urgency to lead them back to God flavors our day. When we make it a habit to ask God every day for opportunities, we will be more likely to see the opportunities throughout our day. The literal translation of this is that God might open for us a door.

Be devoted to prayer.
Pray with an alert mind.
Pray with a thankful heart.
Pray for opportunities.
Pray for clarity in our message.
Pray for wisdom.
Pray to maximize every opportunity God gives today.
Pray for right responses, for gracious and attractive conversation.

Dear Jesus, help me to see doors today that you have placed in my path and lead me through them. Give me the right words so that I might present your message as clearly as I should. Give me wisdom as I live among those who are not believers and help me to wisely make the most of every opportunity. May the words from my mouth be gracious and attractive so that I may always have the right response. Thank you in advance for the opportunities you are going to give me today. Amen.

“What should I wear today?” This is the most frequently asked question at our house between the hours of 6 and 8am. Not only do I ask myself that question, my three teenage daughters often ask for help with this very important decision. To find the answer, I have to ask what the purpose is in the question. Is the motivation comfort or based on the weather forecast? Is it to accomplish a purpose or to simply “look cute”? What am I doing today and how does this speak into the way I should dress? This is an important question (at least for me it is) because how I am dressed affects the way I feel the rest of the day.

What is my purpose today? How does God want to use me and what does He want to accomplish through me? God has chosen me…today…for a reason…for a purpose…

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, WEAR LOVE. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. – Colossians 3:12-14 (The Message).

It’s a good thing I like to accessorize because the decision of what to wear today has already been made for me – LOVE. All the other qualities are simply accessories to the primary outfit, which makes all the other details of the ensemble work, or as Paul put it, “binds them all together in perfect unity” (3:14 NIV).

If I purposely wear love today, it will affect the way I feel the entire day. If I start my day out clothed in the love of God, then everything else with be a natural outflow of my relationship with Him – compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness (3:12-13 NIV). It will affect the way I feel and it will affect what I do. What I do – this is really where the importance of my day lies.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word of deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Col. 3:15-17, NIV).

If what I am going to do today is going to bear the name of the Lord Jesus, it is going to require love – not love produced by my own human effort, but the love of Jesus which He promises to fill me with as I spend time with him…drinking my morning coffee.

Paul goes on to talk about our appearance on the inside. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone (Colossians 4:6). To be gracious in what we say requires an attitude of submission. We give up our right to say what we feel like saying in order to submit to the voice of the Holy Spirit prompting us to say what God would have us to say.

Submission to our Heavenly Master is what makes it possible to do what he has asked us to do:
– Submit to your husband as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord (3:18)
– Love your wife and never treat her harshly (3:19)
– Obey your parents for this pleases the Lord (3:20)
– Do not aggravate your children or they will become discouraged (3:21)
– Obey and serve your earthly masters out of reverent fear for the Lord rather than for people (3:22-23)
– When in authority, be just and fair with those who answer to you for you have a Master in heaven (4:1)

As our Master, God is calling all of us to submission. When we submit to those in authority over us, we are submitting to the authority of God, who is our real Master. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ (3:24).

So, as servants of our Lord Jesus Christ, let’s do as Paul commands in Colossians 3:17:
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

We represent Jesus. It is not only about what we are wearing (love accessorized by compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness) but WHO we are wearing. So tell us as you walk down the red carpet God has prepared for you today, who are you wearing today?

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you ALIVE WITH CHRIST, for he forgave all our sins. He cancelled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. – Colossians 2:13-14

You have DIED WITH CHRIST, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world (Col 2:20a, NLT).

Because we died with Christ, we are alive with Christ! I know we have heard this before but let’s consider, as if for the first time, that we have DIED WITH CHRIST and that, by his death, He has set us free!

Knowing with whom we have died, Paul warns God’s holy people that there will be many “empty philosophies and high sounding nonsense that comes from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ” (2:8). Wow, no argument there! We are surrounded by a way of thinking that is slowly slipping its way into the Church. It is easy to avoid the crazier theories floating around but what about the ways of thinking that resemble what we have been taught but twist the truth, deceiving many? We need to be alert to the influence of the world when we begin to soften our stance on the things the Bible defines as sin.

Paul also says to beware of the tendency to serve a set of rules rather than walk into the relationship God plans for us, out of which holiness develops (2:16-19). When Christ is in us and we are walking in relationship with Him, the change in our life is a result of HIS righteousness, rather than a claim to our own self-righteousness. How easy it is to fall into this pride trap! Legalism requires a strong devotion to a set of rules and provides no help in conquering our evil desires (2:23, NLT) – it produces false humility and lacks value in restraining sensual indulgence (NIV). Or as The Message rewords it, it’s “just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.” That reminds me of verses we recently read in Galatians.

Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right by obeying the law…

My old self has been CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die (Galatians 2:16, 20-21).

But Christ did die and we are ALIVE WITH CHRIST because we DIED WITH CHRIST. He has set us free from sin, free from all the world wants to enslave us with. The world would like to steal the riches we have found in Christ and rob us of our hope of glory, which is Christ in you (Col. 1:27). Let’s continue to LIVE IN CHRIST, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith and overflowing with thankfulness (2:6-7).

A couple of years ago, I read the book Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud. The concepts in the book are based on the foundational idea that endings are a normal and necessary part of life. Jobs, friendships, people, places, projects, programs, interests – all serve a purpose for a season in our life and it is natural for something that was once “the new” to eventually become “the old.”

Paul refers to necessary endings in Colossians 3 – we are ALIVE IN CHRIST because we DIED WITH CHRIST and then we are RAISED WITH CHRIST to a new life. It is necessary for us to die to the old life in order for us to find our real life, which is hidden with Christ in God (3:3). Letting go of our old life could mean putting to death some old sinful habits (Paul has a whole list of examples in 3:5-9) or releasing control of our lives and the plans we had made in order to follow God’s plan.

This real life takes form as we get to know our Creator and become like him. We are renewed and given a new nature, but we must also let go of the old in order to fully experience the new. In this new life, Christ is all that matters – we must focus on him and his plan for our lives, putting aside our own plans and desires.

This is consistent with what we have been studying all week in Colossians.
And now, just as you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, you must continue to follow HIM. Let your roots grow down into HIM, and let your lives be built on HIM. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness (2:6-7).

As Paul said in Colossians 3:11b: “Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” And there is no necessary ending to this fact. God will never change. Even when we are surrounded by changes in life or experiencing changes in our own hearts, He is consistent and He is faithful. We can trust Him through life’s necessary endings.

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. – Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)

What great instructions for us! Paul is very clear about what comes after our salvation decision – we are to continue and to grow and to build our lives on him. When we remain in Him, rooted and established, daily spending time in God’s presence, we will grow. There will always be a next step and more understanding to be gained as we continue to follow Him, growing stronger each day. But this growth cannot take place apart from the source, which takes me back to three of my favorite passages of my Scripture: John 15, Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17.

Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who He is – when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples – John 15:4-8 (The Message).

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit – Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT).

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers – Psalm 1:2-3 (NIV).

Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness (2:7b). This morning my coffee cups overflows with thankfulness – I choose to be thankful for God’s provision, thankful for God’s faithfulness, thankful for opportunities, thankful for friends, thankful for His Church, and thankful for the close relationship I share with Him. God is so good and we have so much to be thankful for.

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. – Colossians 2:8-11

I love how the Message rewords these verses: You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him.

Several times in my life I have been asked how I know Christ is alive or that He is real and the answer is in the experience of Christ. Once you have experienced Jesus, and as you remember what your life was like before you committed to Him, there’s no doubt of who He is and the difference He has made in your life. It is another hidden treasure as we get to know the mystery of Christ living within us (Col. 1:27, 2:3). In this personal relationship with Jesus, we experience fullness or as the NLT states it – So you also are complete through your union with Christ (2:10) – and that is enough evidence for me!

Let’s read on to the next few verses where Paul describes the difference Jesus makes in the lives of His followers.

When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision – the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you ALIVE WITH CHRIST, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. – Colossians 2:11-14

Praise God! More evidence that Christ is real – the change of who we are. We are no longer the person we were before we were raised to new life in Him. We are forgiven, we have been buried with Christ through baptism, and we know what it is to trust God and be filled to overflowing with peace and thankfulness.

Jesus is real. How do I know? The evidence is in my life and in the lives of God’s people all around me – lives changed and made complete through their union with Christ made possible by the cross.

When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you ALIVE WITH CHRIST. He forgave us all our sin, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. – Colossians 2:13-15 (NIV).

Let’s go back to where we ended last week in Colossians, chapter 1. It is in God’s presence that He makes known “the glorious riches of this mystery, which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory” (v.27 NIV). It is our union with Christ, our intimate walk that gives us hope – hope for us and for those watching us. So the secret of the mystery is to allow God to bring us into His presence and then remain there, allowing God to fill us so that He can work through us. It is in the “remaining” that we continue in our faith and produce a life that is worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him in every way.

Colossians 2 continues with this same thought. “I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we’ve been shown that mystery!” – 2:2-3 (The Message)

The New Living Translation says it a different way: I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. – Colossians 2:2-3

Paul wanted his readers to understand God’s ways, His plan. In order for this to happen, he knew they needed to understand Christ Himself because it is in Christ where all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge exist. By getting to know Christ, the mysteries of God are unlocked and revealed. It is through Christ that we have a relationship with God Himself.

There are going to be times in our lives where we struggle to wrap our minds around the “whys” of life. There are going to be times when understanding God’s plan in the midst of our circumstances is a struggle. It is in those moments that we need to draw closer to Christ instead of pulling away in reaction to our hurt or confusion. It is at those times that we need the wisdom and knowledge that is found in Christ. We may not understand God’s plan but, when we have a relationship with God, we can trust His supremacy in any and every situation.

This morning I read through my morning coffee devotional from the last time I was in Colossians, chapter 2. Reading through what I wrote on April 16, 2012 brought back all the emotion of what was going on in the life of our family on that Monday morning. It was the Monday after Scott was elected District Superintendent of Northwestern Illinois District Church of the Nazarene. It was the day after we had announced to the Church family we loved so much that we would be leaving. This is what I wrote on that Monday morning:

“This weekend our lives took a turn we were not anticipating and I have to admit I spent most of the last two days trying to get my head to stop spinning. I needed to have conversations with several people that required me to explain something that I simply cannot put into words. The only thing I am confident about at this point is that I gave my life to God a long time ago, surrendering to His sovereignty and committing that I am willing to go anywhere He wants me to go and do anything He wants me to do.

“Understanding God’s plan is sometimes a mystery but it was encouraging to be reminded this morning that in seeking to understand the mystery there is treasure to be found – treasures of wisdom and knowledge, confidence and rest. I sure could use all four of those right now!…”

Perhaps where you are at this morning requires the kind of faith I needed 18 months ago. My prayer for you this morning is that you will be encouraged and knit together by the strong ties of the love of Jesus. I pray God gives you complete confidence that He has a plan, even if that plan is just out of reach of your understanding this morning. I pray that you will draw closer to God today, trusting He will provide and protect you through your current circumstances.

Lord, we enter your presence with confidence that you will lavish gifts of wisdom and understanding on all of us as we seek YOUR will for our lives and as we surrender to YOUR sovereignty and trust in YOUR provision. Help us grow in our knowledge of Christ and grow in our relationship with you. May our love for you and our understanding of your love for us give us the strength to rest in you today – to simply enter in to your presence and remain there. Amen.