1:3-5
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.
Paul and Timothy thanked God for the Colossians. Why? Because they had heard of 1) their faith in Christ Jesus and
2) the love that they had for their fellow believers. Why did they have such faith and love? They had it because of the hope that
was laid up for them in Heaven.
Application:
When others think about me, do they thank God for me? When I come to others’ minds, what’s
the picture they see? Do they see
someone who holds on to Jesus with all his might? Do they see someone who loves others? And, do they see this in good times as
well as in bad? I’ve learned that
it’s easy to live, love and have faith on the mountaintops. It’s easy to trust God when things are
going well. It’s easy to love when
people are loving to me.
But, do I love when people hurt me? Do I love when circumstances are
against me? Do I have faith
through it all? I confess, Lord,
that the answer is “no.” I confess
that I allow the things in this world to color the picture my life paints. But, it needn’t be. In I Corinthians 15:19, the Holy Spirit
through Paul writes, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of
all people most to be pitied.”
Thank You, Father, that my hope is not for this life only. Thank You, Father, that my hope is a
hope that is “laid up for [me] in heaven.” It’s a hope that is steadfast and true. It’s a hope that doesn’t vary with the
circumstances of this life.
Father, forgive me for allowing the enemy to deflect my sight from the
hope that is available to me. In
John 10:10, Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have
it abundantly.” Abundant life is
available to the believer here and now.
It’s not only a promise of what is to come, but a promise of what we
have available now. It’s not a
promise that life will go well.
It’s a promise that we can have hope and joy even when life doesn’t go
well. It’s a promise that roots
not from this world, but from the One who created this world. He spoke the world into existence. Colossians 1:16 tells us, “For by Him
all things were created, in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through
Him and for Him.” He puts kings on
thrones and rulers in their places.
He created all that we see and all that’s invisible. He created me and
He created you. Psalm 139:13 says,
“For You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s
womb.” Verse 16 of the same
chapter says “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written,
every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none
of them.” God knew me from before
time began. He loved me and He
cared for me. He knew what each of
my days would entail – the good, the bad, and the ugly. He knew both the wise decisions I would
make and the unwise. He knew the
days I would follow after Him with all my heart as well as the days that I
would turn my back on Him in pursuit of my own selfish desires. Yet, He loved me. HE loved me. He LOVED me. He loved ME!!!! And, the most incredible part is that
He continues to love me and always will love me. Not dependent upon my circumstances and not dependent upon
my faithfulness. Instead, it’s
dependent upon His faithfulness.
Over the past several months, God has drawn my attention to a word that
is used over and over in Scripture to describe Him – “steadfast.” Steadfast can be defined as “resolutely
or dutifully firm and unwavering.”
Our God is resolute. He is
firm. He is unwavering. I’m the one who is fickle. I’m the one who shifts and sways. He is the One who remains true to
Himself at all times. God loves
me. Period. No need to question it, no need to try
to earn it, no need to wonder why.
It is who He is. It is what
He is. 1 John 4:16a – “God is
love.”
Bringing it all together – am I living the abundant life
right here and now that has been promised to me by the unchanging, stable God
who always has and always will love me?
Am I trusting in His Son – the Creator of all things – the One who gave
His life for me? Am I keeping my
sight not on the things of this world, but on the things of God? Am I experiencing the joy and hope that
God has this all in His control?
No need to worry – no need to fret. This life is but short and fleeting in comparison to the
eternity I will have with Him – where there will be no more suffering of any
kind. Are others seeing this in me
despite my circumstances? Not for
my glory, but for His? Not to
bring attention to me, but to bring attention to Him? I pray, Lord, that my life will be a song to You – a song of
praise and a song of joy. For I am
already blessed far beyond what I could ever deserve. And, it’s all because You love me.
