This morning I am reflecting on Paul's opening verses from his letter to the Colossians. Talk about deep thoughts, you could spend months unpacking all that he has written. Here are the verses - Colossians 1:9-20 NIV:
[9] "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, [10] so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, [11] being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, [12] and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. [13] For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
[15] "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [16] For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. [17] He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. [19] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."
Starting at the end, verses 19 & 20, (and in verse 15) we see here the statement of truth also shared in the letter to the Hebrews, that Jesus is the image of the Father, having all of the Father's fullness swelling within Him, or as Hebrews says the exact representation of His being. This is incomprehensible truth, yet we find that it must be so, for the Trinity to be true. As I have written recently, this is also communicated by Jesus as well, for He said that everything He said and did was at the Father's direction. Thus, in Jesus we find the perfect reflection, the perfect portrayal, the perfect representation, the actual fullness of the Father taking on Human form, and acting and speaking!!
The purpose for all of this was reconciliation! Reconciliation between God and all things! What was being reconciled? Correct relationship with the Father, that which was lost in the Garden of Eden. This might not seem related, but Paul clearly understood that Jesus coming to earth was about more than just us humans, it was eternally and universally significant.
That being said, the motivating impetus for all was love, according to Jesus (who was speaking for the Father). He proclaimed this truth in the familiar verses from early in John's Gospel - John 3:16-17 NIV: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Jesus came because of God's Love for us! He came not to release judgment, but rather to save and reconcile us to Him, through His sacrifice. The purpose of reconciliation is that we might live in right relationship with God, no longer fearing judgment, but instead embracing our identity as His sons and daughters, enjoying unity and intimacy with Him, even as Adam and Eve did in the garden, pre-apple. In the earlier verses quoted above, Paul writes about the effort of unlearning the lies and deception we lived under while in the kingdom of darkness, and the imparting of true knowledge and understanding through the Holy Spirit. The truth is that we are invited to share in the inheritance in His Kingdom of Light! The same inheritance that Jesus demonstrated, for we are co-heirs (Rom 8:17)!
Thinking about this all a bit differently, using the story of the Prodigal Son as an example (Luke 15:11-32) The younger son thought he had forfeited his inheritance through his wild living and sinful life, but the whole time he was in self-imposed exile, the Father was waiting for his return, so that he might be reconciled through the father's love, back to right relationship. In the same way, prior to our experience of God's salvation, we think that we have no future, no eternal inheritance. We hear of God, but only as a judge. It is in relationship with Him though that the truth of His love and desire for reconciliation becomes evident. Going back to the story of the prodigal, when the son returns to his father, he is expecting judgment and penance, and instead is welcomed back into his right relationship and his inheritance is restored. In the same way, we are forgiven and embraced when we come to the Father through Jesus. He establishes us as His sons and daughters and makes us His co-heirs with Jesus. We are meant to spend the remainder of our lives living in this reality, as His sons and daughters, operating in right relationship, which includes representing Him in authority and love to the rest of the world that still is living in darkness. It is living in the light of this truth that Paul is praying into the Colossians, and we should be praying into each other! We ARE sons and daughters and we need to learn to embrace this truth and live lives worthy of this truth.
A moment to reflect on living "lives worthy of the Lord" (verse 10 above). The Greek word translated worthy is the word Axios, and at its root it means having weight, specifically being equal to the weight of some other thing of known value. We measure diamonds in carats, precious metals in ounces or grams, and this is same basic understanding. Our lives should have worth or weightiness that relates to the value of God! Wow, that word is so easy to read, but has such depth! In other words, we are called to represent the value of God to those around us, to be shining examples of God's infinite worth, authority and power! It is for this very reason we need to be fully immersed in relationship with The Father and Jesus, with the Holy spirit empowering us to truly represent Them. If this is His desire, we can know that He will make us able to do this, for He is a Good Father, and that is His plan and purpose for us.
So my encouragement today is to fully embrace these truths, to embrace intimate and right relationship with the Lord, to follow His lead, speaking and acting as His son! I am encouraged to share this truth with my brothers and sisters, to pray for my brothers and sisters that we all might learn to live our lives as Jesus' co-heirs!
Amen!!!
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