Colossians 2 - Friday 19th July

Today’s chapter is Colossians 2

Tom writes:

When you live rooted upon Jesus you have all you need to get more of God. And more than that; building your life on Jesus gives you the power to live the wisdom that all of us seek. And yet maybe you, like me, have those agonised nights when you struggle to believe that what you have is “really it”? The Colossians seem to have done this. Wracked with insecurity the Colossians began to doubt that their experience of Jesus was up to the task. So they started trying to do “serious” and “spiritual” things to achieve the upgrade they desired. They followed their culture’s idea of “spirituality”; prescribing severe treatment of the body and lots of restrictive rules as the way to really being fulfilled. This was a very un-Jesus-like method of getting more of God. While I don’t suppose many of us have bought into that particular heresy today, I recognise how quickly we can adopt our culture’s solutions for trying to do well in life or to grow in God. Paul is clear; the route to really coming alive is to find the treasures of knowledge that are hidden in Jesus. If we want to grow we should fix our eyes on him, learning to understand him and know him so that we can become like him. He is the embodiment of our best life - of humanity 2.0. Don’t just grab any clever sounding soundbite by a social-media savvy sage. Ask the question - is this something Jesus had hidden inside him? Is the action they are recommending an action Jesus took?

The truth is that in our world right now there are so many podcasts and preachers, books and articles that beckon us into more. These can be inspiring and helpful prompts. Let them spark your hunger. But don’t follow them just because they resonate with you. Don’t start doing something just because it sounds virtuous. The majority of voices lack power to get things done. Instead apprentice yourself to Jesus. Continue to live in him by doing the stuff he did. It takes time. It involves moments of doubt. But if we keep on keeping on then we will become glorious illustrations of the redemptive power of our God. When you want to move into “more”, it’s to Jesus you should go.

Question for reflection

What particular part of Jesus’ life have you been thinking about the most recently?