Who Talks About You?
Welcome to a journey through Colossians! I strongly encourage you to join me on the trip. If this seems a little too formal for you, have no worries. The truth is, the majority of my blogs come from my priority time. As Christians, we must be able to take God’s truth and understand how His Word applies to our everyday 2016 lives. So, that’s exactly what I hope we’ll do. With periodic references to questions I asked from the passage, I hope this will help you as you spend your own time in the Word this summer…These days, writing letters is seen as a somewhat vintage activity. The roll of stamps I get at Christmas seems to last longer and longer each year. An email or a text message often becomes a substitute. It’s quicker and ensures I actually follow through, so they receive it. Yet there’s something so intentional about a letter. It’s so much more personal. A handwritten note still carries a longer-lasting impact. If it’s that way today, think how much a letter was treasured in the times when the letters of the New Testament were received.In Paul’s and Timothy’s letter to the believers in the city of Colossae, one of their initial comments reverberated through my thoughts as I read the passage. With such warmth, Paul says:
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.” (Colossians 1:3-5)
These two men have poured their lives into the recipients of this letter. While not always present in Colossae, they’ve labored in prayer and sent other believers to encourage them. At times, they must have wondered if all their prayers, effort, and energy ever made a difference. If you’re a parent, you’ve probably wondered this very same thing regarding your children. Will all of this ever make a difference? Will they ever get it?[bctt tweet="Paul and Timothy didn’t have to wait to be grandparents to see if their investment was working!"]Paul and Timothy didn’t have to wait to be grandparents to see if their investment was working! They had already heard that these Christians in Colossae were full of faith and love. Score! This was like fuel in the tank for these missionaries; it inspired them to pray even more.In my selfish, me-centered moments, I might read this passage longing to have evidence that the investments I’m making in others is truly having an impact. Fair enough… but from God’s perspective, I think a better question emerges.
Is my faith so strong and obvious that others would hear about it?And so, I ask you to stop and ponder the question for yourself. Do people hear of your faith? It wasn’t that Paul and Timothy observed it, but that the faith of the Christians in Colossae was so evident that others talked about it. If your faith is not that way, what one thing do you need to change to give your faith a chance to grow?
A second equally challenging question:
Is your love for believers so strong that other people can’t help but notice?Now, don’t get confused. Let’s not decide to fake it and become the do-gooder who’s worried about external appearances and stickers at the end of the day. The Christians in Colossae drew from a source of sincere affection. They had grasped that there was a hope already laid up for them in heaven. Out of an abundance of gratitude, they marched on in both faith and love.
If you’re struggling to love well, I encourage you to stop and remember what God has spared you from and blessed you with, so you can have faith and love come from a deep cup of gratitude. Let’s not grow comfortable where we are… let’s allow God’s Word to challenge us to grow in faith in love![bctt tweet="Is my faith so strong and obvious that others would hear about it?"]