Colossians 1:3-14, "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints because of the hope you have laid up in heaven.............and so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.....He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. "
Phew...
Paul, ol Paul, he is just so darn godly and ....sets such a good example...all the time. Come on, Paul! He never leaves any room to wiggle. He's generally pretty cut and dry. Doesn't leave you hangin'. Doesn't leave you in suspense. Just lays it out there.
One of my favorite doctrines in all of Protestant doctrinal land is the doctrine of adoption. I looooove adoption. I love all the comes along with adoption. Not that I don't love justification and sanctification and the others just as much, it's just that adoption makes me feel all warm and happy on the inside and I'm a girl, so I'm allowed to do that. :-) I love knowing that God views me as his daughter. I love knowing that his love is unconditional. I love knowing that he's never going to toss me out on the curb like he should everyday. And I love knowing that I have brothers and sisters that he loves just the same and who I get to be with on earth and fellowship and grow with and serve with and love. I love that I'm able to make friends with people who I have nothing in this whole wide world in common with besides Jesus and can have wonderful, deep, sincere, lasting, real relationships with. I love it. There's nothing like it.
In this passage, Paul is getting a little into this stuff. When I think about this passage, I picture Paul, hanging out where ever he happens to be at the time, writing letters to churches in different cities, being faithful to the job that God gave him, and someone coming up to him one day and saying, "Hey Paul. You hear about the Colossians?" Then Paul replies, "Nah. What happened?" "It's great news! It's amazing! The Colossians received Jesus' Gospel! They've come to faith! And you know what? They really have a love for the saints. It's awesome." Now Paul, extatic about all he just heard, jumps up and down, raises the roof, lets out some "woo hoos" and praises God for the Colossians' faith. Then he commits to praying for them. He prays that they'll grow in spiritual understanding, increase in their knowledge of God, bear good fruit, walk worthy of the calling for which they were called and be thanking God for what he did for them.
This is family at it's best. This is love. This is an example that we can follow and it is very practical. When I think of the people that God has put me with in this phase of life, there are a select few things that I deep down wish for them. 1. That they'll grow in spiritual understand and knowledge for God. 2. That they'll bear good fruit. 3. That they'll walk worthy of the calling they were given. 4. That they'll love God, be passionate about Him, and live in gratitute. I hope that they wish the same for me too. These are the essentials. Cut and dry, this is what life's all about. What better service can we do for our brothers in sisters than to ask for this things for them? Scripture affirms that prayers are answered only after they've been asked.
We can follow in the footstep of ol' Paul and commit to praying for the growth of our family. We can be committed to investing in our brothers and sisters and being a part of these things coming out. We can watch the beauty unfold and there's few things greater.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
In for the long haul
Have you ever thought about how many people you have been in relationship with during your life? A lot. Every time I come home I run into someone who I hadn't even thought of in years. This weekend was Lucas Davilla. While walking out of the store Thanksgiving morning, a big tattooed kid jumped out of the drivers seat of a car in the parking lot. After a warm greeting of "Hey! I know this (fill in with choice words :-) ). Give a brotha some love!!" and I did a little catching up with him. I worked with him for 2 years in high. During those two years I spent more time with him than my family and any of my friends. He was a punk, but I liked him. We spent many evenings discussing how awful it would be if your body happened to get sent through the pizza oven and many evenings watching him see what different kinds of kitchen utensils he could stick through his gauged earlobes-among other things. Two years was spent building a relationship with Lucas and then one day it was all gone and not thought of for years.
He was just one. Most relationships are like ...grass. They are there one day, then wither away. New ones come. We don't notice it and most times, it's no big deal. Relationships are in a constant flux as we go through different phases of life. I have noticed, however, that there is one kind of relationship that just does not work like this. If there is a flop in the bond somewhere, the relationship just doesn't end. It can't be replaced by another person. It cannot just be left in the dark. It's different.
When God created each individual person, he placed them in this inescapable, relational unit with people who have an unbreakable attachment to them. The Fam. There is nothing like it. I have never met a person who has not gone an extended period of time without thought of their mom or without though of their dad or their brothers and sister. My dad's mom died 30 years ago and he still thinks about her all the time. My little guy that I've been watching for 3 yrs will grow up, having never met his birth parents and having a one in a billion chance of coming across them some day, and wonder why they left him dumpster when he was born. We can't get out of them. We can't get rid of them. We can't forget them. They're our family. They're a blessing. Make the most of them. If they're a good one- praise God and enjoy. If they aren't so much, make the most of it. It's hard. It takes time. It takes work. It's worth the work. It's worth the time. It's the only one you'll get.
He was just one. Most relationships are like ...grass. They are there one day, then wither away. New ones come. We don't notice it and most times, it's no big deal. Relationships are in a constant flux as we go through different phases of life. I have noticed, however, that there is one kind of relationship that just does not work like this. If there is a flop in the bond somewhere, the relationship just doesn't end. It can't be replaced by another person. It cannot just be left in the dark. It's different.
When God created each individual person, he placed them in this inescapable, relational unit with people who have an unbreakable attachment to them. The Fam. There is nothing like it. I have never met a person who has not gone an extended period of time without thought of their mom or without though of their dad or their brothers and sister. My dad's mom died 30 years ago and he still thinks about her all the time. My little guy that I've been watching for 3 yrs will grow up, having never met his birth parents and having a one in a billion chance of coming across them some day, and wonder why they left him dumpster when he was born. We can't get out of them. We can't get rid of them. We can't forget them. They're our family. They're a blessing. Make the most of them. If they're a good one- praise God and enjoy. If they aren't so much, make the most of it. It's hard. It takes time. It takes work. It's worth the work. It's worth the time. It's the only one you'll get.
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