Focal Passage: Colossians 2:8-15
What are you worth? What do you value?
Recently I had a conversation with a lady who asked me my
opinion about an unequal relationship in her life. She has a friend whom she
referred to as an “emergency friend.” Her friend only calls her when she is in
a crisis — when she is unhappy or despondent.
Her friend constantly wants compassion, but doesn’t see the
need to reciprocate.
When I asked her to tell me more about this “friend,” she
said the woman is consumed by material possessions. She never has enough, and
nothing in her life is making her happy.
As we talked, it became very obvious that this woman is
obsessively pursuing the wrong goals in life. She could be the “poster child”
for Paul’s warning and admonition: Don’t be captive to this world (v. 8)!
Paul’s hope for the Colossians was that they be “filled”
with Christ (v. 10). To prove his point, the key word in this whole passage is
“Him” (Christ). We find this reference to Christ’s provisions and Lordship
about a dozen times. So, what has He done for us?
The imagery Paul uses is profound. He speaks of circumcision
and baptism and death and resurrection. He speaks of debts being cancelled and
a relationship based upon forgiveness and grace. What more could a person hope
or ask for?
When I was in graduate school, there was a small part of my
financial obligation that I could not pay. I just didn’t have the money, and
when I talked with the dean of the school I stated the obvious.
Apparently word got out to the right person and within a
short period of time I was notified that my debt was paid. It was paid by an
anonymous donor. I was free of that debt. Another time while on family vacation
with our teenage children, the motor in our minivan blew up.
It took about $3,000 to fix it, money that we personally did
not have in reserve. Fortunately, my dad had given me some inheritance money
some weeks before. Again, the debt was paid by someone else. It makes me think
of one of my favorite sayings, “He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I
could not pay.”
Because of what Christ has done, we can experience all the
benefits of resurrection. He has made you alive (v. 13), He has forgiven your
trespasses (v. 13), He has erased the debt (v. 14), and He has triumphed (v.
15). That is the wonderful, glorious message of Easter!
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