Colossians 2:6-15 (NIV)
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Reflection:
We have been united with Christ through faith and by grace. We have been deeply rooted in Him. Nothing can uproot who we are or break the union we have with Him. We have been taught Christ, and what we have been taught is true and immovable. Christ is our life and real living flows from our union with Him – so live it! Be serious about the way of Christ – in other words – don’t allow hollow, deceptive and intellectual nonsense sway or captivate your thoughts. You are in union with Christ and therefore the fullness of deity is alive in you, meaning the fullness of God’s power that extends over everything is how we live this real life union.
Response:
Let’s thank God for this incredible union that has been made real in us through His grace. Let’s pray for our churches and those that God has called us to minister to. Let’s pray that more and more we would not allow hollow, deceptive and intellectual nonsense to sway or captivate our thoughts. May we experience the fullness of God’s power doing this in us as we remain deeply rooted in Him.
]]>2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Reflection:
We are going to have battles, and many of them may occur in our mind, thought patterns, and mindset. The battles we may face in our thought life may seem insurmountable. But the truth is that we do not fight these battles using the same methods as the world. God has given us powerful weapons of divine power that demolish the foolishness and deception of human reasoning, false arguments and rebellious thoughts. Through this divine power, our thoughts can be made captive to Christ enabling us to build lives of maturity.
Response:
God’s word admonishes us to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. As the Word is given, God gives us the power to live it out. Let’s receive this divine power once again. Let’s pray for ourselves, campuses, missional groups and churches that God’s truth would ring louder than “every pretension and argument that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” Let’s also pray that God’s truth would become more and more our reality in our everyday lives.
]]>Philippians 2:5-13 (NIV)
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Reflection:
In this passage, Paul encourages us to “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” In other words, we’re to think of ourselves in the way that Jesus thought of Himself – a humble servant following the will of God. We’re to have the same mindset as Christ and continue to keep on living in obedient response to Him. But, how is that possible when we feel like we lose more battles than we win? It’s possible because it is God Himself at work in us giving us the desire and power to do what pleases Him.
Response:
Let’s confess to the Lord our need of Him and as we do so, let’s invite the Lord’s Spirit to fill us again. As He fills us, let’s pray for our missional groups and campuses; that we would trust God’s work in us giving us the desire and power to do what pleases Him.
]]>Hebrews 4: 12-16 (NIV)
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Reflection:
Jesus is the living Word. He is alive and active. In Him, everything is uncovered and laid bare. Nothing is hidden from God’s eyes. He penetrates even our very thoughts and attitudes of heart – how fearful is this?! But praise God that we have Jesus Christ, who has been tempted in every way but did not sin, and sits enthroned on the throne of grace. When we are struggling even in the depths of our thoughts and attitudes, we can come to God with confidence to receive mercy and grace to help us in our times of need.
Response:
How blessed we are, and what a joy and a privilege it is, that we can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence. We can bank on this truth that He will pour out His mercy and grace when we need it. Let’s come before him with the deep cries, anguish, and anxieties of our hearts, even thoughts and attitudes that we may be struggling with, and receive His mercy and grace to live in a way that is pleasing to Him.
]]>1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (NIV)
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him— 10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Reflection:
There is a popular ad on the radio about the Washington Post newspaper that goes, “If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.” And although this ad is only talking about our grasp of current events, how much more difficult would it seem to be able to grasp the thoughts of God?
But more than a mere newspaper, we have received the Spirit of God who transforms our lives. We can now grasp what God reveals about His marvelous gift of salvation and about His thoughts because we have Christ - and if we have Christ, we have His mind as well.
Response:
Let’s spend some time receiving this truth and thanking God that we have been given the mind of Christ. Let’s also pray for an increase of the work of His Spirit in our lives and in our church and invite the Lord to reveal to us His thoughts and desires, so we can follow Him.
]]>Philippians 3:7-12
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Reflection:
At first glance, this passage seems to be about self-sacrifice, the need to count the cost and rid ourselves of our valuables and achievements in order to be holy. Perhaps Paul has become so spiritual that he is able to see past his own self and is finally able to attain new spiritual heights. But this would actually be missing the emphasis of the passage. In actuality, we don’t see Paul complaining or feeling sorry for himself in having to let go of his personal treasures. Actually, he’s quite comical, calling his personal treasures trash! How is Paul able to have such a radical perspective? We can see that the basis of Paul’s loss and gain is not found in his own effort and righteousness, but on the incomparable reality of the righteousness that comes from God. This righteousness from God is based on faith in Christ, not on personal or spiritual achievement.
Response:
Today, even if this is a familiar passage to us, we can read it with fresh eyes. May we see that Paul is overwhelmed with God’s truth and not with what has been left behind. The reality of the righteousness that comes from God is based on faith in Christ, who has already taken hold of Paul, and Paul in response just wants to take hold of that! Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ loved us and has already taken hold of us, so let us by faith take hold of that truth. Let’s respond in faith by living it out!
]]>Ephesians 2:4-10
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Reflection:
Read this passage 5 times and notice that each time you read it your faith increases and the praise of God in your heart and mind escalates. It begins with appreciation, adoration, subtle tears, then to laughter, to eventually “I can’t contain this feeling and I’m ready to explode in shouts of praise!” As we read this passage, we begin to realize words are just not good enough to express everything that is in our hearts, so let’s just be in it, with a thankful heart. The reality of who we are - alive in Christ, created in Christ Jesus - did not come after a long period of change, but it was from the state of being “dead in transgressions” that Christ raised us up to seat us with him in the heavenly realms. Think about the distance, from the deadness of our transgressions to the heights of the heavenly realms. This is something only God can do!
Response:
Today perhaps we feel we are far away from being alive in Christ though we have been Christian for some time. In truth, we are already recipients of a new life that can be lived out right now. Remember, we are God’s incredible handiwork. What can we do except to praise Him and to simply live it out! Today, let’s respond by being in God’s truth, to be who we are in Christ. We can pray that as God’s handiwork, we can now do the good works He has prepared for us to do. Let’s pray that we will be a community of believers who live out God’s truth.
]]>Galatians 2:19-21
“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Reflection:
If the significance of the salvation we have in Jesus Christ could be captured in a song, these words from Galatians could surely be the main melody. To be saved means nothing less than being crucified with Christ, thus putting to death our old ways of living in sin and by do’s and don’ts. We are now alive by faith alone in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. This melody of God’s amazing and powerful grace is so crucial to the song of salvation that if we try to take it out, there would be nothing left! Meaning, if we try to live the old way as if it would gain us salvation through works, then it would be as good as saying that Christ died for nothing.
Response:
Christ’s death was not for naught! All other strivings and efforts on our own part have only led to death. But thank God that through Jesus Christ, we can and have received life. And Jesus Christ is not only the way, but also the full way, the abundant way - He is everything as we live being who we are in Him! Let’s pray that this amazing and powerful grace of God would lift us up and cause thankfulness and praise to flow from our lips today. Also, as we long for others we know to receive salvation, may this truth free us to pray for them with renewed hope. Let’s tell God today in prayer that we will trust in the same grace that has rescued our lives to continue to bring life to others. Christ’s death was not for naught!
]]>2 Corinthians 4:13-18
It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Reflection:
The church in Corinth faced many challenges and there was a temptation for them to abandon and let go of God’s message, especially in the face of all the competing messages of the day. In this heartfelt exhortation, Paul encourages the Corinthians: (1) to not lose heart, (2) to withstand suffering in order to achieve the eternal glory that far outweighs them all, (3) and to focus not on what is seen and temporary but on what is unseen and eternal. The power to not lose heart, to withstand suffering, and to focus on the unseen is based on the reality that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Him. This new found reality of the Spirit that is alive and active in every believer enables us to live out our Christian lives.
Response:
Whether we have been Christians for a long time or perhaps we are a new believer, there is a temptation to get distracted, to let go of what we have received, and to focus on what is seen. But Paul’s encouragement is that this is contrary to who we are. He is confident that one day we will share in Jesus’ glory. This truth of our eternity is already active now. What is unseen is already happening through Christ’s resurrection, and we are right along with him! Today let’s pray and affirm the truth that the Spirit is already active in our lives and that we can live as new people. Let’s pray that the hearts of those in our communities would be strengthened, that those who are discouraged and tired would be renewed.
]]>Colossians 3:1-4
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Reflection:
As we desire to mature and grow on this Christian journey, we can find ourselves sidetracked when we read and try to follow God’s Word through our old lens of “What do I need to do?” or “How do I get things done?”. When we read Apostle Paul’s exhortation in Colossians 3, perhaps we can get so caught up trying to set our minds and hearts on the right things that we lose sight that God has given us the reason, motive, and power behind that command. Let’s be reminded of the words that follow in v. 3-4 - all that we do stems from the truth that we have died with Christ and are now alive and hidden in Him!
Response:
Today, let’s come before the Lord in prayer and receive the amazing truth of who we are in Christ again. We have been raised with Christ! Let’s be thoroughly convinced and therefore, encouraged that we are now alive and hidden in Him. Since, then, this is our reality, we have all the more reason to set our hearts and minds on the things above - that is being who we are!
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