Colossians 1:28-29

28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.


As I sit to write this devotion, I happen to be exhausted. In fact, my husband just woke me up for my turn at the computer, and I was contemplating not writing this devotion tonight. However, seeing the topic of tonight’s verse seems a sign that I should press on! Just forgive me if the words are garbled.

Paul was certainly called to be a special type of laborer of the Lord. But we believers are all ministers. We are called to not only bring the gospel to a world in need but to meet the needs of those around us, especially fellow believers. (Remember that whole “they will know we are Christians by our love” thing?) We are called to admonish and warn all around of the consequences of not following the strait and narrow path. We are called to teach other believers and help them become more like Christ.

Jesus may have described his yoke as easy and his burden as light, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that the Christian path is akin to lazily riding a gondola down a street in Venice; often it resembles paddling furiously against the rapids! Paul calls his work labor (to work to the point of exhaustion) and struggling (literally agonizing). In his writings we can discern his desire to expend all his energy for whatever time he had on earth to further the Kingdom of God. I imagine you have experienced days you might describe as exhausting and agonizing. Sometimes my days may be tiring because I have done the work God intended for the day, but other days I expend far too much energy "chasing my tail". The good news is that when we are laboring for his purposes we do not have to depend on our fleshly reserves of energy but on His power which works mightily in us. We can do all things that He has called us to do through the power of Him who gives us strength (Phil. 4:13).

The ultimate goal is to present all for whom He has given us responsibility as complete in Christ. The importance here is depth of ministry, not width. Invest yourself in the people God has put in your life, and I know it will make a difference in them and you!

               Fear not, for I am with you;
                      be not dismayed, for I am your God;
               I will strengthen you, I will help you,
                      I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.                   
                                    - Isaiah 41:10

Colossians 1:26-27

26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.


The word “mystery” may invoke a mental picture of Sherlock Holmes piecing together clues to solve a crime, but the term means something that has been hidden in the past that is now revealed to all God’s saints. Paul uses the term “mystery” several times in his letters, but here one can’t help but wonder if the word was chosen because the false teachers at Colossae believed there were spiritual mysteries available only to a select few. But the secret kept for ages and generations was not that you needed special wisdom or worship of many angels and spirits; the mystery is that the Messiah would equally come for both Jew and Gentile. The Old Testament prophets revealed that the Messiah was coming. However they envisioned a warrior, mighty to save them and restore their nation. What they did not understand was that the Messiah would not only come for all mankind, but He would dwell in the very bodies of those who believe. The mystery is that even the Gentiles, who were completely outside of covenant with God, become fellow spiritual heirs through the Gospel.

The sad truth is that most people today fail to realize the wonder and awesomeness of this mystery. Some chose to disbelieve it all together as just another religious fairy tale. Even believers forget what an amazing thing it is that we would be grafted into the family of God when we deserve to remain so far outside the covenant that he should view us as enemies. The common trend is to believe we deserve good things in this life and the next when all we really deserve is destruction! Despite this, God has chosen us to be "the temple of the living God, just as God has said, 'I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they will be my people.'” (II Cor. 6:16) Isn’t it amazing that a perfect God would chose to dwell not only among us through Christ, but within us through the Holy Spirit? Every person with whom we come in contact should be coming in contact with the hope of glory within us!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  - Ephesians 3:16-19

Colossians 1:24-25

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,


If you give your money away, do the right good works, and have enough faith then you too can have wealth, health, and prosperity! NOT!! Nothing could be further from Scripture, and if someone tells you otherwise you can be assured that they are a wolf in designer sheep’s clothing. Following Christ results in suffering; believers simply have the ability and responsibility to joyfully use their suffering for the glory of God!

Paul had been chased out of town, beaten, rejected, and imprisoned because he dared to follow God and share the gospel of Jesus. He rejoiced because he suffered so that others would be strengthened in their faith, and his suffering allowed him to identify with Jesus. Verse 24 does not mean that Jesus’ suffering was not enough. Instead it indicates that believers continue to experience some of the suffering that Christ experienced. The world hated Jesus, and now that he is not bodily here to persecute the world will persecute his followers. Suffering allows believers to identify with Christ like nothing else can. As Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” Paul knew that God had given him a commission to proclaim the gospel, and suffering was a part of that.

The phrase “that which is lacking” seems unusual and may have been a catchphrase of these pre-Gnostic false teachers. Remember that they sought to gain special and secret divine knowledge beyond the teachings of the gospel. This phrase does not mean that believers should physically suffer to become closer to God, pressing nails into their flesh, whipping themselves, or crawling on their knees until the flesh is gone as some do. It does not mean that suffering or good works on our part can bring about our salvation or free others from purgatory. This is erroneous doctrine taken from this verse that does not mesh with the rest of Scripture.

Most people are visual and experiential learners. Unbelievers are more likely to be moved by watching a believer’s faith in a trial than by reading an account of the crucifixion. As John Piper put it, “God intends for the afflictions of Christ to be presented to the world through the afflictions of his people. God really means for the body of Christ, the church, to experience some of the suffering he experienced so that when we offer the Christ of the cross to people, they see the Christ of the cross in us. We are to make the afflictions of Christ real for people by the afflictions we experience in offering him to them, and living the life of love he lived.” A watching world will take notice when we respond in love to those who show us hate, when we have hope for the future in face of devastating news and life circumstances, and when we do not worry about tomorrow.

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead... I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:8-11, 14

Colossians 1:23

if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.


The “if” should send readers back to remember the previous verse. (Hint – it was about being reconciled to God through Christ.) We have to be careful not to read into this verse that one can lose one’s salvation for mistakes made. It also does not mean that we will be presented as holy and blameless only if we remain perfectly faithful, as if our justification depended on our earthly thoughts and deeds. The Greek here is not an expression of uncertainty. It might be less confusing if translated “but”, “since”, or “however”. Paul is sure that since the Colossians have experienced life changing salvation they will remain faithful to the faith which saved them rather than following the latest trends of religious belief.

Paul also mentions that this gospel had been preached to every creature under heaven. Since every creature had not literally heard the truth of the gospel it can be inferred that Paul was countering the idea that true spiritual knowledge was something available only to a select few. We are all called as ministers to proclaim the good news to every creature under heaven.

Jesus said, "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Mt. 7:14). Life is not easy. I myself have endured many things this year that could have knocked my faith. Instead I have not only continued, but the trials have strengthened my faith, making it established and firm. Only trials give you real established roots, so never be moved from the hope held out by the gospel. You not only have the hope of eternal life, you can be assured that God is sovereign and in control of your life!

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised him. - James 1:12

Colossians 1:21-22

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—


In Preschool choir a few weeks ago I introduced the concept of reconciliation. Standing on a line of tape, the kids and I took steps further and further from the “God side” for each wrong thing we admitted to having done. We kept naming things and taking big steps until we reached another line of tape. We stood on the new line and turned to face the starting line. One by one we kept thinking of good things we could do to try to get back to God. The good deed gave us an opportunity to take one huge leap towards the “God side”. Thankfully I had positioned the tape far enough away that no one quite made it! Then I laid a paper bridge between the two lines labeled with the single word “Jesus”. Only He could bridge us back into reconciliation with God. We walked back to "God" and had a big dance celebration. Powerful stuff goes on with my 3-6 year olds!

Of course I had one girl who would admit to nothing, so as I told her mom I eventually pulled her into sin to get my analogy to work. But if we are honest, we have all experienced the emptiness of being separated from God because of our sin. We were alienated from God, even enemies because of our evil thoughts and deeds. Our entire way of thinking was hostile to God and contrary to His truth. We were shut out with no hope of getting back to His side of the tape. Yet despite our unworthiness, He reconciled us through the death of Jesus. He paid the price for our sins and became the bridge that allows us to return to God. In fact, the Greek word here is Apokatallasso (ἀποκαταλλάσσω), "to reconcile completely". The prefix “apo” added to the word for reconcile is basically like saying “super reconciled”. Rather than being reconciled as separated spouses who may or may not split up again, we are grafted permanently as sons and daughters of God. Remember, the false teachers at Colossae taught that you needed more than Jesus to be reconciled to God – you had to add angel worship and secret knowledge. Paul’s use of “apo” at the beginning of the word would be a strike against this train of thought. Christians today may not look to angel worship or secret knowledge, but far too many people believe the way to reconciliation must combine the forgiveness through Christ as well as good works.

We look forward to the day when we will be presented before God, holy and blameless without reproach. We will stand before God and take on the righteousness of Christ Jesus. Regardless of the sins in our past, through Christ’s sacrifice we are now holy, blameless, and without reproach before a holy God!

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.   
 - Romans 8:1-4

Colossians 1:19-20

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.


The fullness of God dwelt in the body of Jesus. He was the full embodiment of God’s attributes and grace. Through His sinless life, death, and resurrection God is able to reconcile to himself all things. Part of the Colossian heresy were teachings that Jesus was not God, that “simple” Christianity was not enough for salvation, that in addition to faith in Christ one needed special visions worship of angels. They twisted Scripture to meet their own purpose and prove their superiority.

As a stay at home mom I am somewhat of a reconciler. I am constantly saying things such as “keep your hands in your own space”, “please take turns with that piece of lint over which you are screaming”, and “STOP HITTING YOUR SISTER WITH A BROOM!!!” (Ok, I lost it a bit on that last one.) “Say you’re sorry… ok say ‘I forgive you.’” But I can never truly make peace. Something else will happen within the next hour! The only true peacemaker is Jesus Christ. By taking the judgment that should have fallen on us, He satisfied both God’s justice and His mercy. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Colossians 1:17-18

17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.


We all know people who believe Jesus was a “good man” or “good teacher”. However these verses teach that Jesus was not created; he simply took on flesh at the incarnation. Some in Colossae were teaching that He was created at some point in history as an emanation of God. Paul instructs them that Jesus existed before all things; He is the Word through which creation was created. In him all things hold together – he gives all things their unity and meaning. He sustains and controls the universe.

He has the preeminence – the first place in everything. It is not the pope, not the pastor, not the bishop, not the deacons, not the elders who are the head of a church. Church leadership is important, but the head is Christ Jesus. Church leaders can provide leadership and biblical guidance, but believers are led by the Holy Spirit within. Too many seminaries teach that churches should be run like businesses, with the pastor as the CEO. I will always regret not speaking up in a leadership class when a professor said that the first thing a new preacher should do is to basically fire all the other staff and let them reapply for their job. Apparently some believe that senior pastors can speak for the Holy Spirit better than He can speak to you. Although a church leader may have insight to share, those abiding in Christ will know the will of the Holy Spirit for themselves as they follow their head, Jesus Christ.

Some scholars waste their time arguing whether “head” signifies “origin” or “authority”. Whatever the meaning here, Christ is both the origin of the Body as well as its authority! The church as a whole is a Body. “Christ is like the Head, and we are the limbs, and the organs, and those parts that function in response to the domination of the brain” (MacArthur). Some members of the body may be doing their job better than others, but we will all function correctly when we follow the “brain’s” leading.

Christ is to have preeminence in all things. Does he have first place in your time? your media choices? your relationships with family and friends? Search your heart for the areas in your life where He is being relegated from the first place status He deserves.

“In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign,does not declare,'That is mine!'”     - Abraham Kuyper