Knowledge of God’s Mystery

-

Scripture
Col. 2:1   For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face. 2 I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments. 

Observation

Paul’s love for those whom he had led to Christ was always evident in his desire to see them continue in their spiritual growth and development. He continued praying and “struggling” for those who he could no longer see face to face. His passion stemmed from his own personal transformation in Christ. He knew what it was that made him rich, and it wasn’t the things of this world. It was the promise of assured knowledge of God’s mystery that he knew would lead into life in the kingdom. Jesus Christ was the pathway into knowledge and participation with God. Paul’s desire to know Christ consumed him on a daily basis and he wanted his own spiritual children to discover the treasure of all wisdom and knowledge which was found by knowing Christ. Great orators might try to derail the faith of some by their fancy words, but ultimately, the Colossians needed to know Christ. 

Application

There are great Christian orators, writers, blog posters, social media gurus, preachers, and musicians that develop quite a following, but if they do not lead us into a deeper knowledge of Christ himself, we are being deceived. The Christian walk is not about elevating any particular person — it is about lifting up Christ. No matter how much our ears may be tickled by the words we consume, we need to know Christ. 

It is in Christ that we become united in love. The unity of knowledge of Christ leads us into this mystery; we are all sisters and brothers, adopted into God’s family. The result is an incredible bond of love among God’s children. Those children don’t need the latest gurus to provide a roadmap for life, but simply need to know Christ. It’s hard to live in a place of complete and total dependence upon God. We want to trust in ourselves and our own knowledge, or upon the wisdom of the latest consultant. The reality is that in Christ we discover all the hidden “treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Think about it — the knowledge of God’s mystery is Jesus. If we participate in the life of Jesus Christ we have access to all the wisdom and knowledge of God. Let that soak in a minute — all the wisdom and knowledge of the great creator of the Universe is at our disposal, if only we will get to know Christ.

We live in a world of great uncertainty, and anxiety is on the rise. That tends to happen when we are constantly caught off guard by what is happening to us, or to the world surrounding us. The twenty-four hour news cycle will certainly keep us living in fear. It’s time for God’s children to take a deep breath, slow down, and relax in the presence of Jesus Christ. Take time to know Christ today, for Christ is the “knowledge of God’s mystery.” God has been revealed to us and the incarnate Christ has created the pathway for us all to follow. I choose to follow Christ. 

Prayer

Lord, the simplicity of faith sometimes takes our breath away. I know that we tend to make it all too hard. Please, help me to live in simple faith of the knowledge of Christ today.  Amen.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more