Every Day with Jesus

We might find Paul’s change of subject abrupt. Having discussed who we are in Christ and how we are to live out the new life, Paul then addresses what are known as the household codes – his instructions for family life. We also might or might not agree with Paul’s emphasis on the roles within the home. 

The peace of Christ can make a real difference to our lives. For instance, a Christian leader encountered many difficulties and challenges over her life, then finally reached a point where she came to the end of herself and leaned on God fully. 

What clothes do we don? The world often gives us stinky rags, such as those slapped on a young girl who was called ‘fat face’. Our hearts sink when we hear stories such as these, and we pray that young people enduring such abuse will be able to put on the garments of God’s chosen people and to ‘forgive as the Lord’ forgives them (v13). 

A great theme of Paul’s is leaving the old self behind as we daily embrace the new, as we see in this section of Colossians. For the believers to live out of a new self, Paul says that they need to continue putting to death whatever would keep them embroiled in sin; that is, their earthly nature. 

We reach a sort of climax here as Paul says, ‘Since, then…’ With these words he signals to his readers that he’s laid the groundwork and he wants them to take notice. For here is how they should live. Because they have died to their old life, they are now raised with Christ. 

Some people find the apostle Paul difficult, thinking that he’s harsh or unfeeling. But if we try to find out more about the individual churches to whom he wrote, we might reshape our view of him. For instance, to one group of people who were lax in their faith –such as in his first letter to the Corinthians – he writes (paraphrased), ‘Shape up! I want you to know God’s truth as revealed in Christ...

Teachers and lecturers, especially when rooted in Christ, are often gracious as they teach, sharing their wisdom. They exude humility as they weave together the nuggets of understanding proffered by those who learn from them – those who in their youth might wear their arrogance as a shield. But true wisdom never puffs one up. 

Have you ever had a debt dismissed? One moment you’re expected to pay back a sum – large or small – and the next, you’re given a reprieve. Relief washes over you as you fill with gratitude. What felt like a burden weighing you down has been removed from your shoulders. 

Paul never forgets that people flourish in their faith in the triune God through His merciful action, for although we respond to the Lord’s loving invitation, He is the one who effects change. We can see this clearly in verses 6 and 7 by digging into the grammar. 

When we’ve been part of a church for a length of time, we often will have encountered conflict within it. We may hear heartrending stories of people deeply hurt by leaders who seemed to be on a power trip, or those betrayed by a close friend in church, or the disappointment and ache when the leadership group adopts a theological stance that is at odds with one’s own understanding. 

A church minister confided how sad he felt when people left the church, or didn’t seem to move forward in their faith. He wondered if for them, coming to church was just one of many ‘leisure opportunities’ in a weekend, which might get crowded out by a children’s birthday party, a brunch outing with friends or a sports match. 

Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ This is a favourite phrase in the Bible, for it hints at a mystery of which we’ll never fully plumb the depths. That is, our union with the triune God, through Christ dwelling within us (and elsewhere we see the Holy Spirit filling us, such as on Pentecost [Acts 2:4]). 

Once you were a murderer. Once a liar. Once a gossiper. But now… now you are no longer accused of wrongdoing; now you are without stain. Why? Because Christ has made things right for you with God. Once all of that stuff was the reality, but now – if you continue believing and hoping – now He sees you as holy. 

We reach Paul’s wonderful prose poem, looking at the first part today, which is a hymn about Jesus. We’ll probably never exhaust the ways of describing God’s Son. Paul says that Jesus is the ‘image of the invisible God’ (v15); this means that He fleshes out that which is unseen. 

We look at two short verses today that brim with meaning. In fact, Paul’s words summarise the gospel well – that Jesus rescues us from condemnation through the forgiveness of sins and the gift of new life. Let’s dig in and examine some of Paul’s phrases, such as that Jesus ‘rescued us from the dominion of darkness’ (v13). Here the light of God’s kingdom is implied by what we are saved from – a lif...

As we read Paul’s intercessory prayer for the Colossians, we can more deeply understand his concern for the new believers if we keep in mind the context. False teachers there have been trying to entice the Christians with promises of secret knowledge to enhance their spiritual experience. 

If we’re gardeners with some land to work with, we might be now enjoying the fruits of our labours – the beauty that blossoms from little seeds. Yet Paul shares a more beautiful blossoming when it comes to the spread of the Christian faith, how it grows and bears fruit through the whole world. 

Welcome to three weeks of exploring Colossians! Paul wrote to this church which he’d likely not visited, but had grown out of his mission to Ephesus through the conversion of Epaphras. This man became a ‘dear fellow servant’ of Paul and Timothy (v7) and planted churches in several areas, including at his home of Colossae. 

On this, our last day journeying through 1 and 2 Kings, we skip ahead to the last king of Israel. Although his name, Hoshea, means ‘salvation’, he does not deliver this. He and his people sin against God, following the practices of the foreign nations and doing detestable things in secret. Instead of turning from their evil ways, they are stiff-necked, unwilling to bow before God in humility. 

God wanted the destruction of Baal worship, just as He wants all people to turn away from idolatry and return to Him. Thankfully, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus leaves us with some very different methods from those of Jehu. After all, Jehu deceived the prophets of Baal by pretending to be one of them, promising that they would receive his royal approval – all so that he could lure them...

If we take on a new job or a new project, we might have to attend to some unfinished matters left from colleagues or volunteers who are no longer involved. We might feel upset that things weren’t done properly, but they still need doing. Elijah also left some unfinished business. 

Often, we feel pain and sorrow when we see those we love going through difficulties. We witness a loved one struggling through a health issue, or see another experiencing intense problems in a relationship. God’s prophets experienced these sorrows too. 

Remember the Shunammite woman whose son Elisha restored to life? She appears again here. Having heeded the prophet’s warning to flee the impending famine, she returns seven years later to find her home and land taken over. 

Although God’s people enjoyed times of peace throughout the ministry of Elisha, their disobedience brought forth God’s displeasure. No longer did He hold back Israel’s opponents, but allowed the siege of Samaria. Things got so bad with the ensuing famine that unclean meat – that of a donkey – sold for a lot of silver. 

The historical narrative of Kings focuses more on the practical outworking of Elisha’s faith in God than on the prophet’s conversations with Him. One such example is the glorious story we’re reading today. You may be well acquainted with it – Elisha is being hunted down by the king of Aram, but he doesn’t fret.