Paul was concerned about disciples he hadn’t even met. This daily devotional looks at how Paul wanted the Colossians and Laeodiceans to be encouraged by Christ’s wisdom.
Nuggets
- We have to show concern for other disciples, even when we haven’t yet met them.
- Understanding of God’s mystery is what unites us in love.
- Wisdom can only be found in Christ.
Devotions in the Joy in the Gospel series
Paul was writing to the Colossians because there were false teachers sneaking around in the hen house. He wanted to encourage them and the Laediceans. Let’s look how he did that.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
Let's Put It into Context #2
“I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me” (Col. 1: 28-29 CSB)
God calls us to diligently work to expand His kingdom both in our hearts and in other’s. Paul worked hard to do this, but it was a struggle.
Struggles for Strangers
“For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person” (Col. 2: 1 CSB)
We have to show concern for other disciples, even when we haven’t yet met them.
Paul got real with the Colossians. He flat out told them that he was concerned for them.
In Colossians 1: 29, Paul said he struggled as a minister for his “congregation.” Here, he is saying that congregation is you.
Barlow said that what the Colossians were doing were subtle sins. He wrote, “Error cannot come into collision with truth without creating confusion of ideas, mental distraction, and moral restlessness.” In other words, sin — regardless of size — really messes up things.
Resource
Think of how comforted the Colossians would have been reading this. Yes, there is problems, but Paul was right there with them.
Isn’t it good to know we aren’t alone when our lives are a mess? God doesn’t leave when His disciples make the subtle errors.
Later in Barlow’s sermon, he kind of changed sides. He thought the subtle error wasn’t so subtle because Paul wouldn’t have greatly struggled with a little one.
God doesn’t even leave when we make the big ones.
The way I read it is that the false teachers were starting to make it presence known in the churches. The Colossians and Laeodicans were either just exposed to the lies or they were starting to believe them.
Believing them would have been a serious problem.
Barlow and Maclaren both felt this was an internal struggle rather than an external one. The struggle in our hearts can be so strong that it begins to feel like a prison.
Yet, Paul didn’t let the struggle stop him from thinking of the Colossians and Laodiceans. Maclaren wrote, “Wheresoever our prison may be, we are bound to take an eager share in the conflict by interest, such help as we can render, and that intercession which may sway the fortunes of the field though the uplifted hands grasp no weapons.”
Resource
I guess I thought that Romans was the only letter written to a church Paul did not establish. Wrong. He wasn’t responsible for the establishment of the churches at Colossae or Laodicea.
That doesn’t mean Paul thought any less about the Colossians or Laeodiceans. He was the consummate pastor of all of the early churches — even when he was the official pastor.
Barlow made a great observation. We don’t know what all our pastors are going through. He has his own stuff he is dealing with and, on top of that, is counseling all of us.
Thomas said that Paul didn’t focus on himself. Paul showered the early churches with prayers, knowledge, and advice.
Resource
I guess I thought that Romans was the only letter written to a church Paul did not establish. Wrong. He wasn’t responsible for the establishment of the churches at Colossae or Laodicea.
That doesn’t mean Paul thought any less about the Colossians or Laeodiceans. He was the consummate pastor of all of the early churches — even when he was the official pastor.
Barlow made a great observation. We don’t know what all our pastors are going through. He has his own stuff he is dealing with and, on top of that, is counseling all of us.
Thomas said that Paul didn’t focus on himself. Paul showered the early churches with prayers, knowledge, and advice.
Resource
Paul took his responsibilities as pastor very seriously — and he saw his congregation as anyone who was breathing. He wanted to do anything in his power to help them to be obedient to God.
Hearts Joined Together in Love
“I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery — Christ” (Col. 2: 2 CSB)
Understanding of God’s mystery is what unites us in love.
Maclaren reminded us of something. He wrote, “Heart, in Scripture, means thought as well as emotion.” Paul wanted their whole beings to be encouraged.
Resource
This version translates the word encouraged. The King James Version translates it comforted. I guess.
- Encouraged is “to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident.”
- Comforted is “to cause (someone) to feel less worried, upset, frightened, etc.”
Resource
I can see both going on in this situation. They could have been upset and frightened about being in the crosshairs of the false teachers.
We should be frightened when Satan comes after us. But then again, we shouldn’t.
We have a loving God Who is right there to strengthen us. With Him fighting for us, we should be more confident, hopeful, and determined.
Paul was all about unity. Unity is an inward, spiritual feeling of harmony found through Christ that manifests itself in outward actions that foster the spread of the gospel.
We know that love is the tie that binds. That binding gives strength. They would be more able to fight off the false teachers when they were unified.
Maclaren noted that this love will bring us to knowledge about the mystery of God. We just talked about the mystery of God. “the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints” (Col. 1: 26 CSB).
Resource
What may start out as a mystery of the gospel is revealed to us as we grow in the faith. God reveals it to us when we are mature enough to know. If what was hidden has been revealed, then Christ has now revealed godliness.
Here is another translation. The Bible doesn’t tell us everything there to know about God. He doesn’t download everything there is to know about Him at conversion.
God reveals Himself to us as we navigate the Sanctification Road. He takes a lifetime to tell us. He will tell us more throughout eternity.
- Sanctification is the transformation of mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration, gradually changes our nature and morals through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal requickening in us that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit to give us new character.
- Spiritual death is the separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin. The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
- The perfected state indicates the combination of the spiritual graces which, when all are present, form spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
Maclaren made an interesting comment. He said that we may never get over the anxiety caused by the gospel.
I can see that. Even when we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer, Scriptures still convict us. That conviction causes us to grow closer to God.
The Treasure of Wisdom
“In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2: 3 CSB)
Wisdom can only been found in Christ.
We have talked a lot about wisdom.
- Wisdom is an enlightened acceptance of God’s principles that leads to knowledge, discernment, and good sense that is put into practice through salvation, increasing our goodness and virtue.
- Discernment means we can evaluate the situation and recognize right from wrong.
- Salvation is the gift of life through the deliverance from condemnation and sin to acceptance and holiness and changes us from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
- Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Holiness is the transcendent excellence of His nature that includes elements of purity, dedication, and commitment that lead to being set apart. Purity means possessing God’s moral character, having eliminated the stain of sin.
- Holy means to be set apart, perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
Barlow compared wisdom to knowledge. He wrote, “Wisdom is the practical application of knowledge, the attainment of the highest moral results by the best means.”
Resource
In our terminology, we could say that knowledge equates to head knowledge. Wisdom equates to heart knowledge.
Butler added a new concept to the definition of wisdom. He pointed out the connecting our knowledge with God and His plan for our lives.
Resource
Colossians 2: 3 says wisdom is only found in Jesus. That was in direct opposition of what the false teachers were saying in Paul’s day.
The answers that Jesus give are called treasures. We just had Trunk or Treat this past weekend. Our trunk had the pirate chest as the main decoration.
When we think of a treasure chest, we think of gold coins and jewels. These are things of value in this world.
Those aren’t what are important. Eternal life is. We find that only through Jesus.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
I love what Spence said. He wrote, “As all things were made and consist by Christ, so all branches of knowledge for the human soul have a relation to Him and find their truest meaning in Him.”
Spence also said that wisdom is hidden “… from the thoughtless and unbelieving world, from the vain and unassisted intellect …”
Resource
If Christ’s wisdom is so wonderful, why is it concealed? “None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Cor. 2: 8 ESV).pool
Okay, wouldn’t Jesus not being crucified be a good thing? Well, no. If He hadn’t, there would be no way for our sins to be forgiven.
Making the Connections
Hmmm. We still have false teachers today. Science does not give us total knowledge and wisdom. Only Jesus does.
We may think we know. Sometimes, we may be right. But not always.
The answers science gives us usually does not, as Barlow said, lead back to Christ and salvation. Jesus gives all the answers that we need.
How Do We Apply This?
- Pray for others that they will remain true to God.
- Put feet to prayers when appropriate.
- Don’t let the circumstances scare us — hold firm for others.
- Daille wrote, “Let ministers learn what they owe to their flocks.”
- Seek God in order to find the treasure of His wisdom.
Resource
God wants us to find His wisdom. They may be hidden from non-believers, but they are revealed to disciples.
Father God. Only in Your Son can wisdom be found. Lord, we seek Him and You to gain access to that wisdom. Amen.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email daily or weekly providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.