Walking in Christ: Colossians 2 (1)
Pray Psalm 145.1-3.
I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
Sing Psalm 145.1-3.
Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want
I will extol You, God, my King, and ever praise Your Name!
I bless You, LORD, for everything each day, and e’er the same!
Great are You, LORD, my praise I bring; unsearchable Your fame!
Read Colossians 2.1-3.
What is it like, or what happens when your heart is “encouraged”?
Preparation
1. What are the “riches” Paul wants us to possess?
2. What does he say about Jesus in these verses?
Meditation
In chapter 1 Paul touched on the ideas of our position in Christ (saints, complete in Him) and our condition in Christ (faithful, increasing in Him). In chapter 2 his focus will be on improving and increasing our condition in the Lord amid all kinds of potential obstacles. But he begins this chapter with an additional and enlarging thought about our position: We are in the One “in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (v. 3). Whatever we need to keep making progress in this life, we will find it in Jesus, Who dwells in us and is our hope of glory.
It’s a struggle to improve our condition in the Lord. Paul says he has great “agony” (Greek: ἀγῶνα, agona) as he works to encourage the Colossians and the Laodiceans in their walk with the Lord. (It probably won’t surprise us to recall that Laodicea was the “lukewarm” church Jesus rebuked in Revelation 3.14-22.) This mention of the Laodiceans has a twofold purpose: First, Paul would later instruct that this letter be read to them, so heads-up, Laodiceans (4.16); second, he knew that the Colossians were just as human as the Laodiceans (and everyone else, for that matter), so whatever he did with or said to them—all that agonizing—would apply to the folks in Colossae as well. “Tell all the truth, but tell it slant…” (Dickinson).
Paul’s objective in ministry is clear, that the people of God might be “knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ” (v. 2). It is difficult to overestimate the New Testament’s teaching about the importance of Christian unity. Difficult to overestimate, but easy to ignore, as in our day. The knowledge Paul desired for these churches is nothing other than eternal life (Jn. 17.3). Eternal life holds out for us, in and by our Lord Jesus Christ, all the wealth of divine wisdom and knowledge we will need to continue improving our condition in the Lord, until at last we see Him face to face. Believers: Here is everything we need for eternal life! What doth hinder us?
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
This is a positive means to an enduring end: encouraged hearts, knit together in love, attaining to all riches of full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2.2, 3).
We give support, confidence, and hope to our fellow believers by encouraging them in the faith.
We can inspire courage, spirit, and hope by being faithful to our calling in the Lord.
Merriam-Webster defines the transitive verb knit as: to form by interlacing yarn or thread in a series of connected loops with needles; to link firmly or closely; to cause to grow together. And the Bible wants us to do this “in love”.
And by this loving and encouraging knitting together we attain amazing riches.
In God. In Christ. In the Holy Spirit.
We are given full assurance of understanding that opens up knowledge to understand, if only vaguely, the incredible mystery of God’s love and provision for us (Prov. 23.12, 23). We can begin to peel back the layers of the mystery that eludes so many: In Christ we are reconciled to God. In Christ there are treasures of wisdom and knowledge that once seemed unfathomable but are now made clearer. We do not deserve anything good from the hand of God; and yet, in His mercy, Christ died for us. God answered Habakkuk’s prayer, for in His wrath toward sin, He remembered mercy (Hab. 3.2).
So that now as we open this treasure trove of grace, we begin to understand that: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (Jms. 1.17).
The enduring wealth we should seek is just waiting for us to accept.
And after accepting the treasure, we go on to encourage, interlace, connect, and link firmly in love other believers to this same end. In Christ.
Reflection
1. What should our role be in helping our church to be more knit together in love?
2. Why is it such a struggle to improve our condition in the Lord? What can we do to grow stronger in that struggle?
3. Why does Paul liken wisdom and knowledge to “treasures”? How can we grow richer in these “treasures”?
Herein is all the worth of grace, by which He saves those who believe, containing in itself deep treasures of wisdom and knowledge and steeping in faith the minds which it draws to the eternal contemplation of unchangeable truth. Augustine (354-430), Letters 137.1.3
Pray Psalm 145.4-9, 13, 14.
Praise the Lord for all His mighty works, for His compassion and mercy, and for His Kingdom. Whom will you tell about our mighty and gracious Lord today?
Sind Psalm 145.4-9, 13, 14.
Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want
To ev’ry generation we Your wondrous works shall tell.
The splendor of Your majesty we contemplate full well.
We speak of all Your mighty deeds and all Your greatness tell!
Then shall we all the glorious fame of Your great goodness sing—
Your righteousness, Your gracious Name, Your mercy: praise we bring!
Your steadfast love remains the same, Your grace our covering.
Your Kingdom evermore shall be; You reign forever, LORD!
Your works You do so faithfully, according to Your Word.
The falling You uphold and the oppressed You rescue, LORD!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Men, check out the fall schedule of online reading and study groups. Lots of opportunities here to grow and make some new friends. And look over the free books in our clearance sale at The Ailbe Bookstore. Order several copies and share them around.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
