Colossians 1 - Thursday 18th July

Today’s chapter is Colossians 1

Tom writes:

Think of it like trying to build a tower with a deck of playing cards and a big concrete block. Unless you put the concrete block flat and secure at the bottom, a lot of things are going to be frustrating. To realise that is wisdom and understanding. For much of history the problem of humanity was that the concrete block they were trying to build on was wonky, and they didn’t have the strength to move it. They were constrained and condemned to towers that fall or fail. Then Jesus came along. Magnificent Jesus. Jesus changed everything. Jesus laid himself down as a new Concrete Block. Jesus laid down his life, his character - indeed the very being of God as a flat and solid foundation that anyone could build upon. Now, through Jesus, people could build a tower that would not break. Wisdom could be lived if cards were stacked on Christ. In these glorious verses Paul waxes lyrical about the monstrous magnitude of Jesus; Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, all things were created by him and for him. Just in case any of the Colossians had forgotten; just in case we had forgotten; Paul reminds us all that Jesus is frightfully massive - the concrete block of all of life. And in these glorious verses Paul giggles gleefully about the generous graciousness of our self-giving God; he has rescued us, he was pleased to bring us into his friendship, he has put Christ in you, you now have the hope of glory.

And so we come out of this chapter wooed towards wisdom. We come out of this passage - if we have skimmed through it sufficiently slowly - wanting to build our tower of cards upon the concrete block of Christ. The short-hand summary of such a life is this; love. Fruit-bearing. God-pleasing. Progressing towards perfection. Love for all the saints and love for God is the pinnacle of wisdom, it is the glorious riches of his grace. So will you pray for more love-inducing wisdom into your life today? Will you labour for love? Will you lean into love defined by and built upon Supreme Jesus? Don’t take your own definition of love and try to fit Jesus into that. That will be like trying to build on a wonky concrete block. That will see your house falling flat. No, instead let Jesus - the source and sustainer of all life - even define what you understand by “love”, and then build a life pursuing that kind of love. If you do that, you will one day turn around and see the tower of your life resembling the Royal revelation of the glory of our God.

Question for reflection

How does Jesus’ definition of love differ from our culture’s definition of love?