Always seeking, never finding

"The word is very near you" (Deuteronomy 30:14). Some people are always searching - but never finding. They look here, there and everywhere ... and, then, they start again ... and so, the search continues ... always searching, never finding. They tell us, "It's all about the search." Jesus tells us something very different. He …

Feast of the Holy Family: Colossians 3:12-21; Matthew 2:13-15,19-23

In Christ, there is so much blessing.Let's enjoy it! Be what you already are. Be what God has made you in Christ. This is what God is saying to us here. ‘You have been raised with Christ... You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:1,3). Paul is describing the …

Called and equipped – to become more like Jesus

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let …

Looking forward to being with Christ, forever

"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). From "Christ for you", we move on to "Christ in you." Christ was crucified for us. Beyond his crucifixion, there is his resurrection. And, beyond his resurrection, there's his return "in great power and glory."* We do not only remember a past event: He died for …

The Word of the Lord and the worship of the Lord

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts (Colossians 3:16).  Here, we see the vital connection between the Word of the Lord and the worship of the Lord. We listen to …

Responding to God’s Word (47): Jesus, the name high over all

God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14). What a contrast there is between what we were without Christ and what we have become through what Christ has done for us! We …

My Lord and my God

"In Christ, all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). We read these words of Paul, and we may wonder, "Was he going 'over the top' with this description of Christ?" Then, we think of the resurrection of Jesus. What does the resurrection tell us about Jesus? It tells us that He …

I’m accepted, I’m forgiven.

"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord" (Colossians 3:23). So much of our life seems so ordinary. We say, "There's nothing very special about it." What does God say to us about our …

The history of God’s salvation – Jesus is our Saviour and Lord.

"I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). When we think about the history of God's salvation, we begin with God's everlasting love. We go back beyond the beginning of the world - back to the everlasting God and his everlasting love. "That it might be fulfilled" (Matthew 1:21). When we focus our …

A New Beginning: Some thoughts from the Scriptures

Genesis 1:1-3‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. Its opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right. (a) the priority of God(1) God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) the priority of God’s Word (3) God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there is the Word of the Lord. (c) the priority …

The Kingdom Of God: The Prison Letters – Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon

Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon: These letters are known, collectively, as the prison letters. They were written by Paul during his time of imprisonment in Rome. In Philippians, we see God's kingdom as a kingdom as a kingdom of joy: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and, again, I say, rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). When the Lord …

We Thank God For His Love For Us And We Think About Our Love For Him.

In our love for God, we are to be what He, in His love for us, has made us to be. In Colossians 3:1-11, we read of our privilege and our responsibility. In Christ, God has made us new people. We are God’s people. This is our great privilege. In Christ, God calls us to …

Thankfulness is a way of life.

"Everything you say or do should be done in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17). Thankfulness is a way of life. It is to affect everything we say. It is to affect everything we do.

Live The New Life That God Has Given To You.

Colossians 3:1-17 "Put to death... " (Colossians 3:5); "Put on the new man" (Colossians 3:9-10); "renewed in knowledge ... " (Colossians 3:10). This is not something that we can do in our own strength - "Christ is all and in all" (Colossians 3:11). "Put on... " (Colossians 3:12) - Note that the Lord's forgiveness comes …

Devote Yourselves To Prayer.

God calls us to pray - ‘Devote yourselves to prayer’. We are to pray with concern - ‘watchful’. We are to pray with gratitude - ‘thankful’ (Colossians 4:2). We are to pray for those who preach God’s Word. Thank God for the past. Trust Him for the future. Remember - the important thing is the …

Standing on the promises of God

"Esau hated Jacob because of what he had done to him (or because of the blessing with which his father, Isaac, blessed him, Jacob)" (Genesis 27:41). The story of Jacob and Esau can be read at a purely human level. Esau's reaction to Jacob's trickery was perfectly understandable. What are we to make of all …

New Life In Christ

Colossians 2:8-3:17 Be what you already are. Be what God has made you in Christ. This is what God is saying to us here. ‘You have been raised with Christ... You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God’ (1,3). Paul is describing the new birth. Christ has made His home in …

The way, the truth and the life; faith, hope and love

We begin with the words of Jesus: “I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6). From there, we move on to the words of Paul: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). There are six words upon which we must focus our attention. There …

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

"Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?" (Psalm 24:3) - only Jesus Christ, our great Saviour! Jesus went down to the place of suffering and death - and, then, God raised him from death to life. Through Jesus, we are raised to life. We do not raise ourselves. We have been raised by him - …

Spiritual Wisdom – Knowing And Doing God’s Will

Colossians 1:9 "Spiritual wisdom" is "knowledge of God's will." It doesn't take us up into the clouds - and leave us there. It lifts us up - and it puts our feet back on the ground again. Spiritual wisdom isn't just knowing a lot about God. It's learning to do His will.

Praying Through God’s Word: Colossians

Colossians 1:1-2:7 Lord, You’re calling us to move forward with You – “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him” (Colossians 2:6). As we think of Jesus, our great Saviour, may “our faith grow strong and may our hearts overflow with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:17). Colossians 2:8-3:17 Help us, Lord, to be …

God has spoken, and he’s still speaking.

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Colossians 2:8). On the one side, there is philosophy. On the other side, there is Christ. The two are very different. Philosophy begins with man - "after the tradition of men." …

Preaching the Gospel and teaching the Word

Jeremiah 9:17-11:17; Colossians 1:24-2:5; Psalm 117:1-2 The Lord’s people are called to a ministry of preaching the Gospel and teaching the Word (Jeremiah 11:6; Colossians 1:25,28). While this ministry is carried out by particular individuals, e.g. Jeremiah and Paul, it is a ministry which is strengthened by the support and encouragement which comes from the Lord’s …

Link to Rev James Philip’s notes on Colossians

Colossians

You were dead. Now, you are alive.

"And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Colossians 2:13). You were dead. Now, you are alive. This is the miracle of the new birth. It's not something we can do for ourselves. It's the work of God. What we could never do for …

Getting back on track with personal worship

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30). Let us worship God: we hear these words, being spoken to God's people, when they are gathered together for worship. What about personal worship: I will praise God? True worship will, always, be more than what happens when we are gathered together …

God’s love, God’s Son, God’s command, God’s purpose

Easter Sunday Morning: Acts 10:34-43 or Jeremiah 31:1-6; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4 or Acts 10:34-43; John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10 God’s love, God’s Son, God’s command, God’s purpose ‘When the Holy Spirit comes on you... you will be My witnesses... to the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). This great advance of the Gospel …

Getting to know what Jesus is like and praying that we will become more like him

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of …

Something from the past, something for the future

"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Sometimes, we hear people saying, "You Christians are living in the past." What are we to make of this? We take the point - the Christian story is an "old, old story." We, also, make another point - through Jesus Christ, our Saviour, we have "the …

Here, There And Everywhere

"All over the world this Gospel is bearing fruit and growing" (Colossians 1:6). The work of the Gospel is always more than what's happening in the place where you live. Continue to pray for the work of the Lord in many places. Don't forget to pray for those who brought the Word of the Lord …

Faith In Christ – Not “A Shallow And Misleading Philosophy”

“Be careful not to let anyone rob you of this faith through a shallow and misleading philosophy” (Colossians 2:8). There are some ideas which sound good – if you don’t look too closely at what they’re really saying. They say to us, “You have a problem. This is how you can sort things out for …

May the peace of God reach your heart and change your life.

You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace (Isaiah 55:12). Where does our joy come from? Where does our peace come from? Our joy comes from the Lord. Our peace comes from the Lord. This post will focus on peace. For more on joy, Are you looking for true and lasting …

Called by God – to worship him, to live for him and to give thanks to him.

"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks …

Keep Christ At The Centre

Colossians 1:1-2:7 ‘In everything’ Christ is ‘pre-eminent’ (18). * In Him, there is salvation - ‘redemption, the forgiveness of sins’ (14) - , sanctification - ‘mature in Christ’ (28) - and service - making Him known (27). Everything is in Christ. * In Him are ‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (2:3) - all …

In Christ – salvation, sanctification and service

Journey through the New Testament: Colossians ‘In everything’ Christ is ‘pre-eminent’ (1:18). In Him, there is salvation - ‘redemption, the forgiveness of sins’ (1:14) - , sanctification - ‘mature in Christ’ (1:28) - and service - making Him known (1:27). ‘You have been raised with Christ... You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God’ …

Colossians

There is a wisdom which is greater than the wisdom of this world: "this is the Christ we proclaim, this is the wisdom in which we thoroughly train everyone and instruct everyone, to make them all perfect in Christ" (chapter 1). There is no substitute for Jesus Christ, who is our true wisdom: "Make sure …

God says, “I am with you. I will save you.”

Jeremiah 14:1-15:21; Colossians 3:1-4:1; Proverbs 24:15-22 Our spiritual warfare is both outward and inward. We have enemies coming at us from without and from within. Concerning the enemies from without, God says, “This people will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you… I will …

Sin, salvation and service

Jeremiah 7:30-9:16; Colossians 1:1-23; Psalm 116:12-19 There is a great contrast between sin - “Do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver... and no-one speaks the truth” (Jeremiah 9:4-5) - and salvation - “the holy and faithful brothers in Christ... the Word of truth, the Gospel... has come to you” (Colossians 1:2,5-6). …

Faith – Conflict and Victory

Jeremiah 11:18-13:27; Colossians 2:6-23; Psalm 118:1-16 The life of faith is a life of conflict. We live among “the faithless” – God is “always on their lips, but far from their hearts” (Jeremiah 12:12). We are called to maintain the faith in the face of “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and …

Colossians

COLOSSIANS 1:1-2:7  -  ‘In everything’ Christ is ‘pre-eminent’ (18). In Him, there is salvation - ‘redemption, the forgiveness of sins’ (14) - , sanctification - ‘mature in Christ’ (28) - and service - making Him known (27). Everything is in Christ. In Him are ‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (2:3) - all that …

"If you have died with Christ to the world’s way of doing things, why do you let others tell you how to live?" (Colossians 2:20).

This is a very good question. It's a question that needs to be asked. It's a question that must be answered. May our answer be, 'We will live Christ's way - not the world's way' - "As holy people whom God has chosen and loved, be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. Put up with each …

The Lord is enthroned.

Jeremiah 16:1-17:25; Colossians 4:2-18; Psalm 118:17-29 “A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary” (Jeremiah 17:12). The Lord is enthroned on the praises of His people - “Jesus, we enthrone You ... We lift You up with our praise. And as we worship, build Your throne. Come, Lord Jesus, and …

Tychicus and Epaphras…

"I’m sending Tychicus to you. He is our dear brother, trustworthy deacon, and partner in the Lord’s work. He will tell you everything that is happening to me. I’m sending him to you so that you may know how we are doing and so that he may encourage you... Epaphras, a servant of Christ Jesus …

One Year Bible: Days 274-304

Day 274 Jeremiah 2:31-4:9; Philippians 2:12-30; Psalm 115:12-18 The Lord calls us back from our backsliding: “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding” (Jeremiah 3:22). The returning people say, “Yes, we will come to You, for You are the Lord our God ... surely in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel” …