Colossians 1: A Reminder

As Paul starts his letter to the Colossians two things strike me.

1) his love for these people
2) his love for the God’s gospel

In fact I would say that he shows his love to the Colossians through the gospel. It seems strange to me that Paul commends them that the gospel is bearing fruit among them in the opening verses since he retells the gospel to them in verses 15-23 . Normally when I tell someone “good job” I don’t also take the time to explain to them again how the job works. Instead I assume that they’ve mastered the basics and challenge them with something tougher. Paul takes the time to explain how the gospel works. He moves on to other tough issues in Colossians but it’s awesome that he starts with the basics again. He lays the groundwork lest anything become distorted over time in the Colossians’ minds.

I think I should do this more often. I should remind myself of the groundwork. I need to remind myself of the firm foundation God went to extreme ends to build for me. When times are good I often find myself forgetting how desperate my situation was without Christ. When times are tough I often find myself focusing on how to fix my situation. What happens when I keep in focus that Jesus is the image of the invisible God who reconciled me to present me holy in God’s sight? …amazing things like peace, boldness, joy, and compassion.

Posted by Danny Hess