Colossians chapter 2 has much to say about how to be built up in Christ. As I go through this chapter we will look at what will and what will not build us up. The first thing that Paul makes reference to in verses 1-3 is prayer. I am thankful for his honesty in saying that he prays for those he knows and does not know and he admits it is a great struggle for him. Although I can relate to the struggles of keeping a strong prayer life in place, this is not a pass for us. Paul is not saying prayer is hard so just let it slide. No, he is saying prayer is a struggle I have on your behalf. He knows there is a benefit to praying and to keep on praying. This is a call to continue to struggle in prayer.

Paul also shares what it is he is praying for. He is not mindlessly going through a list but praying that which is most important for those he prays for. Although it would be nice to pray that those at Laodicea have a blessed day and that God would bless them, he goes deeper then that. He prays for their encouragement, that they would be knit together in love. And here is a mouthful,”that they will attain to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”(vs. 2-3).

WHEW! Now, we do not want to be wordy for words sake while praying. But look at those verses and see the depth of what Paul wanted to pray for others.

Have you and I ever struggled in such a positive way in prayer as Paul did? This should encourage us to be in the Word and to use Scripture to help us pray according to God’s will for others. Here we have a wonderful example of how to be specific for those we pray for. “God bless the missionaries” was ok, I guess, when you were a babe but I hope you are praying differently today! If not, this is a great guideline. This will not only build up others but you yourself will be built up in Christ through your labor of prayer.

Kathy Withers

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Did you know that God could smell? Genesis 8:21 tells us that He has the sense of smell. God specifically designed us to be able to smell for a reason… “If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?” 1 Corinthians 12:17.

Most of us can immediately sit back and think of both smells we have experienced that have been pleasant and those that we’d prefer to never smell again. Let me just name a few…

Comforting/Pleasant Smells
* Dinner in the oven
* Chocolate Chip Cookies in the oven
* Freshly cut grass (unless you have allergies)
* Spring flowers in bloom
* The fresh scent of the ocean
* Your loved one’s perfume
* A clean baby out of the tub
* The morning dew or air after a peaceful rain

Could do without Smells

* Trash on a hot summer’s day
* Body odor
* Dead animal
* Rotten food
* Refinery/factory burn off/Pollution

I have always found it interesting that God calls us a sweet fragrance. Just like the different smells we can experience, our lives can be both sweet fragrances to God, as well as foul odors. Ecclesiastes 10:1 compares bad smells to folly. Our sins are compared with foul smells in Job 15, “He sees the flaws in the very heavens themselves, so how much less we humans, smelly and foul, who lap up evil like water?”

God wants us to be pleasing smells, which represent Him before the World. In 2 Corinthians we are told that our fragrance as victorious Christians points others directly to Him. Our fragrance when we are walking in Christ is pleasing to God, it reminds Him of Christ. When He smells us – He smells His son. You know what that is like. Perfumes often remind us of others and bring either pleasant experiences or not so pleasant depending on who we are reminded of. That’s the same way we are to God… our lives can be both pleasing to God or can be as foul odors. I don’t know about you… but I would like to be a pleasing fragrance.

When God gets a whiff at your perfume… what does He smell? Are you wearing Christ? Can others smell Christ through you? Paul himself knew what it was like to receive the sweet smell from others. “I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.” Philippians 4:18

Let us each daily give to God and others that sweet smell of Christ.

LDJ

Galatians 5:13, “For you were called to freedom, brothers…”

If we are called to freedom, why do so many live in bondage?

John 8:32, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
If truth sets us free, yet we are living in bondage, then we must not believe truth because the Scripture says, if they know truth they will be free.

The missing factor is not knowledge but belief. It’s often not that we don’t know the truth but that we don’t genuinely believe it.

I know God is trustworthy, but if I don’t believe it, I will live in fear.
I know God is good, but if I don’t believe it, I will live in doubt.
I know God is sovereign, but if I don’t believe it, I will live seeking control.
I know God is mighty, but if I don’t believe it, I will live pridefully.

The greatest determiner of what we genuinely believe is not what we say we believe but what we do. Vikki Arudda, “We act upon what we believe not upon what we know.”1

If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you were called to freedom. Are you living and enjoying that freedom?

Diane

1 Vicki Arudda, quoted in “Praying God’s Word” by Beth Moore

(continued from yesterday…)

As I continued to walk the rest of the way to my office I was all set to mentally judge them. True to His nature and character the Holy Spirit saw this as a teachable moment for me and for the next few moments He reminded me of similar such instances in my own life wherein I deliberately chose contrary to some stated rule or regulation. The obvious question was and is, “how am I/we so different than these two young adults? Better yet, how am I/we the same?”

In addition to this gracious rebuke, the Holy Spirit also reminded me of what the Lord says to us in Matthew. Plain and clear we are instructed not to judge.

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck from your eye”; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. ~ Matthew 7:1-5

Apart from the saving grace of God, apart from His transforming grace we are all in the same boat, lost and sinking deep, deep, deeper into sin.

Dear sisters, here we are at the beginning of another year full of resolutions and promises to do better, to change the old to the new. Together let’s choose change. Let’s choose to allow the Holy Spirit to focus our attention on any and all areas of our life where we are cutting corners, taking short cuts, giving less, wasting more, etc.

Let’s choose to dive into the water of the Word of God and be all that we can be for the glory of God.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. ~ Colossians 3:12-17

Stephanie

I arrived at work today just in time to see a young adult woman walking across our broken and boarded up bridge. She was half-way across when she saw me seeing her, at which time she paused as if she was deciding what to do. You want to know what she did? She kept on going. Even after I got out of my car and looked directly at her she continued, determined to finish what she started.

On the other side of the bridge was another young woman, most likely a friend who also saw me and was a bit more reluctant to ignore the signs forbidding her to cross the bridge. I even heard her say she was going to walk back around the way she had come. However, with a bit of prodding from the one who’d already accomplished the forbidden feat, she too, made her way tentatively across, arriving with obvious relief and perhaps a bit of embarrassment because by now she is aware that I am staff and she has been seen doing something wrong.

I waited patiently by my car for them to come closer so I could tell them to avoid the area on any potential future jaunts around the lower lake. But before I got the chance I heard the one who had crossed first, say something like this, “You have to know the rules so that you can know which rules are to be broken and if you don’t know the rules you won’t ever really know the ones that are okay to break…” all this was said without taking a breath along with some other such nonsense and all without once looking in my direction.

By now, I’m basically walking along beside them as I make my way to my office and I ask her this question, “Do you really believe all that you are saying?”

To which she replied, “Absolutely”, and then proceeded to restate the previous gibberish.

Her friend was in total disagreement and I asked another question, “How is that working for you so far in life?”

Her answer was, “Fine.”

All the while her partner in crime is making comments to the contrary and it’s obvious she isn’t okay with what just happened.

Anyway, my mind is searching for something profound to say to her and all that came out was, “I’d love to know how that works when you have kids.”

Her final response, “I do have kids.”

By now we have reached the sidewalk to my office. (The whole conversation took place while we were sort of strolling along together in that direction.) We parted, and they went on to the auditorium with their Bibles tucked safely and securely under their arms.

…to be continued

Wow! I have just read and studied about who I am in Christ and who Christ is! Colossians has started off really well! But then there’s Colossians 1:24-29. Paul begins to speak of his sufferings. Each of us could write volumes on our own personal sufferings. Yet, I would not be honest if I were to write that I rejoiced in my sufferings like Paul did. I could tell you that my heart was hard at times. I could say that my fists were tightly clenched and even shaking towards heaven at other times. I even recall times when the darkness of my sorrow seemed to swallow me up and I didn’t care one way or the other. It has only been recently that I can say I am learning to rejoice in my suffering.

If you and I are to rejoice in our sufferings then we must choose to look for things other than our personal comfort and well-being and the answer to the question “Why?” Sam Storms in his book “Hope of Glory” gives this challenge: “If we do not look beyond suffering to the greater spiritual goal that it achieves, it will breed bitterness and resentment rather then joy. If we regard suffering as an end in itself, that is to say, if we fail to take “the long view”- to see it in the light of its eternal consequences (2 Cor. 4:14-16), God will appear cruel and life meaningless.” So what should our focus be in our sufferings?

Suffering draws us closer to God. (Phil 3:10)*
Suffering assures us that we belong to Christ. (John 15:18-19)*
Suffering brings a future reward. (Romans 8:18-25)*
Suffering is inevitable, but it is temporary. (1 Peter 1:6)*
Suffering for the sake of the gospel should be counted a privilege. (2 Thess. 1:4-8) *

How are you handling suffering today? What might God be teaching you?

*A Women’s Guide to Spiritual Wellness by Rhonda H. Kelley

Kathy Withers

Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh no, I don’t pray out loud. I don’t pray well enough to let others hear?”

Years ago, I heard a young mom say, “Sometimes I am so hungry to have an adult conversation, that I call my husband, and when he answers I say, ‘Da da goo goo!'”

That set me to thinking that when my children were little, I delighted in hearing them say, “Da da, goo goo.”

I would imagine the Lord is the same way. Even if we just say, “Da da, goo goo,” I believe the Lord would be thrilled to hear our simple utterings. We are talking to Him! It doesn’t matter what we say or how we say it. We are talking to Him and He is listening. I’m sure He is saying, “That’s my child! Just listen. She’s talking to Me!”

Jeremiah 33:3 states, “Call to me, and I will answer thee.” Note that the verse does not say, “Call to me in a proper and correct way, and I will answer thee.” Any of us can call, but it may well be a different way, yet God has promised to acknowledge our request.

So I encourage you to take a chance; talk out loud to Him.

“The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer” (Psalm 6:9 NIV).

MWH

“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Psalms 34:8

I don’t know about you, but I love to taste food. Food can look really good, but the litmus test is how does it taste? After you taste it then you will really know if it is truly good. In the very same way God wants us to “taste” Him.

What does that mean? Well, I think of it this way… many people say they know God and are Christians, but they have not ‘tasted’ Him. What I mean is… they have not taken what He has to offer and applied it in their lives. We can hear all about Him, read all about Him, but we need to take Him in – put what he has to offer us into use – then we will know how good He really is – not how good we hear He is.

We are told in Proverbs that honey is sweet to the taste (24:13), in Psalm 119:103 we are told that His word is sweeter than honey to the mouth. God gave us our sense of taste so that we can fully appreciate food and enjoy the bounty food has to offer us. When we are struggling and down or even rejoicing – we often use food to comfort and celebrate. God wants us to taste him, to use Him when we struggling or when we are celebrating the blessings of life – just like we taste food for satisfaction.

As I write this my staff has just made some Kettle corn. I can tell you it smells good – but until I get up and go get some and taste it… I will not know for myself what it is like. We cannot experience God’s fullness just by hearing it or smelling it or listening to others opinions – we need to try Him for ourselves and it is when we do that – that we will know that He is good.

Maybe right now instead of making some sweet treat or some comfort food you need to get alone with God and ‘taste’ what He has to offer you at this time. What He has is far greater than the temporary experience of food. In Song of Solomon 2:4b we read “I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” Have you sat down under His tree and savored His flavor?

Once you have tasted Him and put your trust in Him it will become evident in your life that His fruit is sweeter than anything you have tasted from a human perspective. I don’t know about you, but I have tasted some pretty fine foods, and they don’t compare to the pleasure we can find in Him.

Next time you are enjoying a fine meal or treat and you are thinking… my how good this tastes… remember that God tells us that He is even better. Savor HIM!! Join me at His banquet table.

LDJ

Death is not a popular topic even among Christians. As a young girl I was afraid of death — afraid of one of my parents or siblings dying, or dying myself. Why, at 7 or 8 years old, did that concern me? I can only attribute it to my Papa’s early death and watching my Nana’s and Mother’s tears. I could see death caused pain. It wasn’t like the game we played when you were killed, you counted to 30 and then got back up and played again, Papa didn’t get back up.

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened-not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

As a believer 25+ years, God has grown me, matured me in many ways, and certainly this is one of them. I’ve heard many Christians say they don’t fear death, but the process of dying is another story.

As believers we know God’s promises are true, every single one. Although we do not fully understand, we know He has promised “a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” – an eternal dwelling place.

Look around you. Look at the church or Keswick prayer list — strokes, heart attacks, cancer, accidents, tests, surgeries, miscarriages, tumors, falls, etc., and the list goes on and on.

Does this tent billow and creak in the wind? YES, BUT THIS TENT IS NOT OUR HOME!!!

For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened-not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

I chuckle at the truth For in this tent we groan longing to put on our heavenly dwelling. I can really identify with that, especially when I’m being worked over by my physical therapist after my recent knee surgery. I do groan, or maybe it’s more like a whimper. But I know: THIS TENT IS NOT OUR HOME!!!

Our temporary dwelling, our tent, our mortal, finite flesh will one day be swallowed up by life! Swallowed up by our eternal dwelling in the heavens, by eternal, unending LIFE!

And I love this next statement: He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

God has prepared us for our transition from tent to glorious eternal dwelling. He guarantees it by the presence of His very own Spirit dwelling in and with us.

Diane

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31,32 (NLT)

When is it ever okay to allow an exception to the above Scripture? Surely, there must be times when a harsh word or a slanderous statement is permissible? Surely, the Lord must know that there are people who will come into our lives and hurt us, cause us such pain that we will feel a huge need to express ourselves in not-so-nice ways? When He inspired those words of Scripture He had to have taken into consideration the number of people we would have love/hate relationships with, and toward whom we would find the not-so-odd occasion to be less than tenderhearted or forgiving. He simply had to know that loving a father who would reject and push you away, over and over and over again would provoke a rage, and an anger, bigger than one could imagine. God had to know the longing, the thirst, the hole that would wait years to be filled and yet remain unfilled, unquenched. Didn’t He? Didn’t He?

Of course we know the answer is, “YES, HE DID!” He knew before we were formed how we would hurt and be hurt. He knew every tear we would shed. He knew the rejection we would experience and He knew how we’d struggle with rage, and bitterness. He knew that in our anger and pain we’d be tempted and give in to the sin of harsh words, slander and evil behavior. He also knew how we’d attempt to justify it all simply because we hurt and ache and long for acceptance and love. HE KNEW.

He knew that being in relationship with other people who are sinners, (just like us) would make or break us, would threaten to hinder our growth and our fellowship with other believers and most importantly with Him.

He knew it all and still He came to earth as a man to offer us redemption, to offer us a way to know love, to know forgiveness and to be known by Perfect Love Personified in the character and person of Jesus.

So, it’s safe, no, it’s right to say then, that no part of anything that the Lord has asked us to do is impossible, none of it is by accident or a mistake. Therefore, none of us will ever have a legitimate reason to hold on to anger, bitterness and resentment as long as we are called after His name. As long as we are His followers, disciples, children, daughters, we will always know the amazing truth of Calvary’s Cross.

The Cross was the answer that saved, redeemed, set us free, no longer to be bound by the yoke of any kind of slavery.

Stephanie