Dead

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. – Colossians 3v3


I don’t think any one of us like the idea that we are dead. We all think, some where along the way, and maybe to varying degrees, that it really is all about me. Sometimes, we think, it has to be about me and what I want. Somehow, it has to be about my goals and my desires and my wants and doing what is best for me. Sometimes I just have to do what is best for me. I am ashamed and embarrassed to admit how often I have had to deal with that in my life.

I wish I could find some way to support that in scripture, but Colossians 3v3 could not be any blunter. We died. Dead, finished, kaput, gone, wiped out. There is no ‘me’ left to think about, I am hidden in Christ because I am dead in Him. There is Christ and there is my flesh – nothing else.

What does this mean? It means I really don’t matter. How can a dead man matter? Since I am dead, and since I am hidden with Christ, my affections should be in Him alone. My earthly surroundings should mean no more to me that a coffin means to a dead man. (I have always wondered why they make them so comfortable :snicker: )

It really is all about Christ. I am alive only in Him. Following Him means that I forgt about the ‘dead guy.’

May I always be reminded of the truth of my ‘deadness.’

Seek and set

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. – Colossians 3v1-2


‘Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world.’ I was looking over the passage this week in preparation for an upcoming message. When I read this passage today I was reminded of the connexion between these two scriptures and a few others.

The allure of the world is strong. We have to see the world and its system every single day, and all day long every day. It is there when we watch the news, it is there when we turn on the telly, it is there when we logon to the internet, and it is there as we go though our daily lives. It is so visible that it seems like we can’t get away from it. It manifests itself in the lust of the eyes, in the lust of the flesh, and in the pride of life.’ That is why God tells us to ‘look not on the things that are seen, but the things that are not seen.’

God must know that this is going to be a problem for us because He warns us of the same problem here. Those of us who have been raised with Christ have to decide what we are going to seek and where we are going to set our affections. Are we going to set our hearts and minds on those things that we see every day? Or are we going to set our hearts and minds on the things that are above; the invisible, eternal things that we cannot see?

So much of what we do every day is based on the wrong thing. Instead of basing decisions on what really matters, we base decisions on our circumstances. Sometimes I look around me and see all the ‘stuff’ going on. When that happens the problem is not with the ‘stuff’ is it because I am seeing the stuff and setting my heart and affection there.

When I love the world, I am always going to look in the wrong place. When I look in the wrong place it is because my affections are misplaced. My affections are misplaced because I love the world.

What problems we cause when we set our affections in the wrong place.

Of no value

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. – Colossians 2v16-23


I realise that this is a lengthy potion of scripture, but I wanted to show the entire context. Rather than quote everything I just want to grab some of the phrases that catch my attention.

Let no one judge you…
Let no one cheat you of your reward
Why…do you subject yourself to regulations?
Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle
The appearance of wisdom
Neglect of the body

There is a tendency in some circles to try and regulate Christianity. Early in my Christian life I was told things like (and I won’t try to reproduce all of the rules here):

Good Christians don’t go to the movies (cinema)
Good Christian men don’t wear beards
Good Christian women don’t wear trousers
Good Christians don’t listen to rock/country/ccm
Good Christians go to church every time the church doors are open for any reason
Good Christians don’t associate with lost people
Good Christian men and women don’t go swimming together

There are some good principles in some of these. People who adopt some of these as their personal standards should be respecting for doing so.

However, sometimes it does not stop there. When these standards become a list of ‘do not touch, do not taste, do not handle’ then we have the situation that Paul addresses here. Those who have lives where the spirituality is based on rule do have an appearance of wisdom. It looks like a really good idea. The neglect of the body sounds like a good thing.

Look at the very last phrase in this passage - these things are ‘of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.’ We often swallow the line that ‘do not touch, do not taste, do not handle’ will solve the problem of indulging our flesh. Rules don’t do anything to help us deal with the flesh.

Maybe instead of ‘keep the rules’ we should push ‘keep your heart, for out of it are the issues of life.’

Nailed to the cross

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, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. – Colossians 2v13-14


My favourite line from my favourite hymn is from ‘It is Well with My Soul.’ H.G. Spafford wrote these words in what is normally the third stanza. (Sadly, this is the verse often skipped in the ‘Baptist 1st, 2nd, and 4th stanza singing rule’: insert a chuckle here: )

‘My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious though, my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, oh my soul.’

What powerful words. in the light of today’s passage. While we were dead in our trespasses and our sin, in our wicked ‘uncircumcised’ state, we were made alive together with Jesus! We had a couple of things against us. Our sin was against us. The list of requirements was against us. But he took the problem out of the way when He nailed it to His cross!

When Satan tempts you to despair remember – nailed to the cross
When tempted to sin remember – nailed to the cross
When a particular sin rears its ugly head remember – nailed to the cross
When someone comes with a list of rules and requirements remember – nailed to the cross

Nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul!

Complete in Him

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. – Colossians 2v9-10


Complete in Him. Those words have a powerful impact all by themselves. The Christian immediately identifies with what it means to be complete in Christ. The truth becomes even more profound when we look at the preceding words; ‘In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.’

In other words, we find our completeness in the Christ. All of the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ. Therefore we are complete in the One Who is totally complete. There is nothing we lack, there can be no shortage. Most of all, for me, there is nothing I, that is, my flesh, can do to fix what He wants to do.

Aaron Wolfe put it perfectly in a late 19th century hymn. I don’t know the details, but someone as recently revived this wonderful own song, which states perfectly what it means to be ‘complete in Him, in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells.’

Complete in Thee! no work of mine
May take, dear Lord, the place of Thine;
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And I am now complete in Thee.

Refrain:Yea, justified! O blessed thought!
And sanctified! Salvation wrought!
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And glorified, I too, shall be!

Complete in Thee! no more shall sin,
Thy grace hath conquered, reign within;
Thy voice shall bid the tempter flee,
And I shall stand complete in Thee.

Complete in Thee— each want supplied,
And no good thing to me denied;
Since Thou my portion, Lord, wilt be,
I ask no more, complete in Thee.

Dear Saviour! when before Thy bar
All tribes and tongues assembled are,
Among Thy chosen will I be,
At Thy right hand, complete in Thee.

Aaron R. Wolfe, 1821-1902
Refrain, James M. Gray, 1851-1935

Don’t be cheated

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. – Colossians 2v8


Whenever we come across a warning sign in the word of God we do well to stop and pay attention. In the previous verses Paul was instructing the believers to walk in Christ, rooted and built up in Him, abounding in the faith, living what they have been taught, and abounding with thanksgiving.

With that foundation we can look at the warning. Beware, because there are those out there who through there love of worldly wisdom, through their trickery, and through human traditions will try to cheat you. Their basis not Christ, but human traditions.

Paul is writing to believers. Therefore the warning here is for us. Our faith is not in danger; we cannot be cheated out of that. Yet, if we are not careful we can be cheated by those who would rob us of the life of abounding in Christ.

Sadly, the traditions of men can creep into the church. Things which are not according to Christ creep in as traditions. When these traditions are allowed to rise to the level of rules and policies we have indeed been cheated and robbed.

Beware; don’t be robbed by those who would impose their worldly traditions on you.

Steadfastness of your faith

For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. – Colossians 2v5


I praise God for the churches He has allowed be to be a part of since I have been saved. I thank God for the school I went to. I am grateful for the men I have known and developed friendships with through the years. All of these things have played a role in making me who I am today.

One thing though that I think we have missed out on is something Paul addresses in Colossians 2v5. We pay lip service to it, but I am not sure we value it like we should.

When Paul wrote to the Colossians he did not praise them for all the people won to Christ on Tuesday night visitation. He did not praise them for the number of baptisms in the last year. He did not praise them for their new multi-million drachma building plan. In fact, he did not praise them for any of what we see as so important today.

He praised them because they were in good order and they were steadfast in their faith in Christ. Their ‘order’ was a military term. They toed the line. They met the mark of God’s word. There was a wonderful orderliness to their lives.

There were also steadfast. The Greek word used only here in the New Testament is another military term which means solid and able to stand the attacks of the enemy. They would not be moved from their faith in Christ. Nothing would shake them.

It is this last term that catches my eye today. As I examine my life I have to ask, ‘How solid is my faith? What does it take to shake my faith in Christ to sort things out?’ Apparently I still have lessons to learn. Events do not shake my faith in Christ for salvation, but they can shake my faith in ‘how and why.’

Oh for the faith that is so solid that it is not moved or shaken, no matter what comes my way. When these things happen, I want to trust Him not only in my salvation, but in the hows and whys of my circumstances.

Knit together in love

that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, - Colossians 2v2


I continue to be amazed at the importance placed on unity in the body. Paul informs that part of the reason for his letters to the church is that he might share what he is going through for the gospel. This news was so that his hearers might have there hearts encouraged, and that they would be knit together in love.

The wording here is wonderful. Our English term ‘knit together’ truly gives a good picture of that Paul is saying. I know very little about weaving and knitting. But I do know that a key part of it is ensuring that the fabric is pressed together tightly. I do know that a loose thread can destroy a fabric. I can remember seeing large looms compressing each line of fibre to insure that it was tightly and securely pressed into the fabric.

This is the image that is portrayed here. Truth is our foundation. We can never sacrifice it for anything. It can never be compromised. True love would never compromise on truth. True love unites, binds, presses, and knits our hearts together in the truth.

Lets keep our eyes open for any loose threads in this fabric of love.

Him we preach

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. – Colossian 1v27-28

This is an election year in the United States. I have not been there, but if this is like every other election year tomorrow morning preachers all over America will stand in their pulpits and preach politics.

This is only one of the topics that will gather attention and be sure to get plenty of ‘amens.’ Personal preferences will be preached as Bible principles, some gossip in the church will be make it way to the preacher’s notes and he will want to deal with it publicly hoping to deal with it in a general way, perhaps, to avoid a one on one confrontation. I know the temptation – sometimes our desire to be praised gets in the way of faithful preaching.

I don’t think Paul worried a whole lot about hearing an ‘amen.’ What did Paul preach? ‘We preach Him [Jesus].’ Preaching Jesus is all we really need. By preaching Jesus Paul said that they were ‘warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom,’ with the eventual goal of presenting every man perfect and mature in Christ Jesus.’

“We preach Him.’ What an ambition, what a goal, and what a choice!

I guess if I could only give one word of advice to a preacher it would be ‘Preach Him!’

For the sake of the body

Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking what is lacking in the affliction of Christ for the sake of His body, which is the church: - Colossians 1v24


The word of God puts a lot of emphasis on the body of Christ and its importance. We often think about doing what we do for Christ, and that is true, we cannot minimise that. However, here Paul mentions another reason why he does what he goes through what he goes through and why he suffered what he suffered. Why else would Paul go through all of this? The answer is clear here – for the sake of Christ’s body, the church.

We would all at least claim that we would do anything for Christ. But I think we need to ask ourselves what we are willing to do for His body as well. His affliction, though it was because of His stand for Christ, was for the sake of His body. He was willing to suffer because his ministry of preaching and teaching was to build up the body. He would let nothing get in the way.

I would like to think that I would give up everything for Christ; I trust that if the occasion arose I would be able to do so. I have never given much thought though to give up everything for His body – I hope that I could say the same for it as I would for Him.

Reconciled

…and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled - Colossians 1v20-21


Reconciliation is word you used to hear a lot in Ireland. There were constant talks on ‘peace and reconciliation’ on the situation in the North of Ireland. All over the world nations at conflict want to try and find reconciliation. Couples going through a divorce here are required to go through attempts at reconciliation. In St Patricks Cathedral in Dublin you find the “Door of Reconciliation.” (Click HERE for the story). It is clear that reconciliation of conflicts is always a part of people’s thoughts.

There is however a much greater reconciliation that dwarfs all the others. There was a time in every person’s life when they were alienated from God, His enemies, because of their wicked works. Sin totally alienates us from God. What a horrible situation to be in – God’s enemy! Amazingly, it pleased God to reconcile all things to Himself, making the needed peace only through the blood of Christ. What a price to be paid, yet He was willing to pay it. God took to the first step in reconciliation. Someone always has to make an offer, and in this case, only God could make it. Man caused the conflict, God offered the peace. He paid the price, He initiated the reconciliation. In fact, it was about Him. All we had to do was accept the peace treaty.

Praise God for His reconciliation!

The pre-eminence

And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence. – Colossians 1v18

In our Bible study last Sunday night we talked about how God uses the church to help the believer grow in Christ. One of the key words that Christ uses to describe His church is the word ‘body.’ All over the world members of the body assemble locally the carry out the role of the church in the New Testament.

There is only one head to the body. Anything else would be an abomination, a freak, a monstrosity. Verse 18 reminds us that only Christ is the head of the church. Since He is the head only He can have the pre-eminence. No man, no matter how well known, how smart, or how popular deserves the pre-eminence in the local church. In fact, according to 1 Corinthians 12, the members of the body who we give the least regard to are often the most important. Every member of the local assembly of the body has a role, none of them less or more important that the other.

The church is all about Jesus – plain and simple. It is not about us at all. God does set certain members in specific roles according to Ephesians, and there is a responsibility on the church to provide for those who make their living as pastors, but no one in the church deserves the pre-eminence that so many claim and even demand.

John also addresses the issue in 3 John where he mentions a man named Diotrephes. According to John this man, ‘loved to have the pre-eminence.’ The word used here is a form of the word pre-eminence used in Colossians. Diotrephes was one who craved to be first in the church, he was ambitious of distinction. A friend recently asked me if this man was the pastor. I agreed that I thought he was, since he certainly seemed to have some influence there.

What happens when someone like Diotephes craves distinction in the church? What happens when he loves the pre-eminence?

When one loves the pre-eminence he loves what is Christ’s alone. When one loves the pre-eminence he really wants Christ’s place in the church.

May I always make sure that Christ alone has the pre-eminence not only in my personal life, but in the local assembly where I am allowed to serve.

In Him all things consist

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. – Colossians 1v16-17


Sometimes I wish I could just experience a little bit of consistency. Things change so quickly. Just when I get the impression that things are finally going to carry on for a little while, something happens to remind me that nothing in life is going to be consistent. Situations and circumstances are going to change. It is just part of life.

Yet, I am reminded today that there is a consistency. Since all things consist in Christ He is the ultimate, and indeed the only place that we can look to for consistency. He is consistent and all things consist in Him. He never changes; all things carry on in Him. He holds all things together, everything stands firm in Him.

Praise the Lord that I can find consistency in the One in whom all things consist!

Delivered

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, - Colossians 1v13

There are certain great truths in the word of God that need to never forget. In all the hustle and bustle and business, in all of the ups and downs and highs and lows, in all of the struggles and blessings we must never forget a key word. What is that word? Well, there may be many, but for me today the word is ‘delivered.’

Until the 12th of February, 1974 I was captive to the power of darkness. I walked according to the course of this world. I walked of according to the dictates of the prince of the power of the air. I was hopeless, helpless, and hapless. On that Tuesday in Chester, PA, I put my faith in Jesus Christ and a marvellous conveyance took place. At that instant God transported me from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Christ. My citizenship was changed in an instant, done and dusted, it was finished.

The problem is that we have short, human, fleshly memories. Sometimes in all the everyday stuff that we face we can forget the marvellous word ‘delivered.’ My encouragement should come from the fact that since He delivered me from the kingdom of darkness he can deliver me from whatever I face today!

Today, when the tough times come and we get confused, we do well to remember the powerful ‘delivered.’ Deliverance was not only for then, His power to deliver continues on.

According to His glorious power

that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; - Colossians 1v10-11


There is no doubt in my mind that there is nothing that I can do according to my own ability. That is a really humbling lesson. We want to be able to do something on our own and in our own strength. Paul instructs the Colossian believers here to ‘walk worthy of the Lord, live fully pleasing to Him, be fruitful in every good work, and increase in the knowledge of God.’

In reality that is a pretty tall order. Those things really read well. They look great, and the words kind of roll off the tongue. They sound great when you read them, but this is tough stuff! When you first get saved this is wonderful, but pretty soon you realise that you simply cannot do it!

That’s where the rest of the passage comes in. The only hope is to be strengthened with ‘all might.’ Where does ‘all might’ come from, ‘according to His glorious power.’ Where does ‘all might' and “his glorious power’ lead? It leads to patience and long suffering. How does that patience and longsuffering play out? The answer is clear – ‘with joy!’

The songwriter Andrew Peterson puts it like this – ‘Give us faith to be strong Father, we are so weak. Our bodies are fragile and weary. As we stagger and stumble to walk where you lead, give us faith to be strong.’

Being strong is not easy, but by faith we can depend on His omnipotent strength.

All your need

Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4v18-19

This is a neat little illustration here. It is one of those passages often preached in missions conferences with the idea that; ‘If you give to missions you don’t have to worry because God will meet all your needs according to His own riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’

For a change, one of the tired old preaching clichés is not far off. Although I am not so sure that God acts in response to our giving and using it as a motivation for giving, the truth is still there. We can give with confidence that we are not going to lack, because God is always going to meet our needs.

Paul was full up as a result of their wonderful gift. It really wasn’t the money, because Paul knew that God would always meet his needs as well. Their willingness to give was in and off itself a sweet smelling aroma, a sacrifice that pleased God. What made it even more precious is the fact that God would keep on meeting their needs.

The whole chapter is about contentment, giving, and trusting God. They all go together. When we are content we can give of ourselves and our resources. Whatever we give is a precious sacrifice, and we can rest assured that God is not going to let us down.

I am full

Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. – Philippians 4v18


Here we find Paul, a prisoner of the greatest power on the face of the earth, under house arrest in a rented home, hundreds of miles from home, family, and friends. A pretty miserable lot wouldn’t you say? Surely, if anyone had a right to gripe it was him.

His contentment was real and palpable. If contentment is indeed being bound by what we already have, then Paul could surely say, ‘I am full.’ In his mind he had everything, even though he had nothing.

The financial gift sent by the Philippians was a great blessing to Paul, obviously, not because of the size of the gift, but because they had sent it. Their gift was a sacrifice acceptable to God. His joy was for them because they were able to share in whatever Paul saw accomplished in Rome.

What a joy to be able to step back and say, ‘I am full.’ For me that is easy to say when we have sixty children at Kids Klub Kamp or sixty plus people at a carol service. Then I can sit back and enjoy the fullness of the work where God has put us. I also want Paul’s ability to say, ‘I am full’ when things are not going so well and when the ministry struggles.

May I have the wisdom to choose ‘I am full’ over ‘poor little me.’

I can do all things

I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4v12-13

I am ashamed to admit how often these words have crossed my mind and even, at times, escaped my lips, ‘I just can’t do it any more.’

Those are horrible words for the believer to think or say. When they have come in to my life it is because I have once again lost my focus. The problem is as obvious as it can be – indeed I can not do anything in God’s work. I can only do it through Christ who strengthens me. I am reminded of another passage that reads, ‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.’

In our Christian lives we are always going to come across things that we think we cannot handle. Sometimes, when stuff happens over and over again we selfishly think that we have had enough. Paul knew something that most of us miss. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Paul knew how to handle blessings and deprivations, he knew how to be full and hungry, and he knew how to handle good news and bad.

This is one of those faith statements. There are going to be times when we just don’t think we can do what God asks of us. There are times when our circumstances seem so difficult that we don’t think we can do any more. News is going to come that makes us question if we really can carry on. This where we must dig down for that ‘raw faith’ and choose to trust His word.

At the end of the day we can’t…in and of ourselves handle it. Yet praise God that I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!

Freedom

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: - Philippians 4v11


Now before I start, I know that the Bible was not written in English, but I do find the meanings of our English words fascinating. Here is the entry for “content” from the Online Etymological Dictionary – “1418, from M.Fr. contenter, from content (adj.), c.1400, from L. contentus "contained, satisfied," pp. of continere . Sense evolved through "contained," "restrained," to "satisfied," as the contented person's desires are bound by what he or she already has.”

In reality, this etymology is pretty close to the Greek word for contentment here. It was a classic Greek word that was used two other times in the New Testament. It has the idea that ‘what I have is sufficient.’ The two words used to form the word meant ‘self-weightless.’ The content person is free from the weight and pressures of ‘stuff.’ Freedom from stuff, as Socrates said, is true wealth. – ‘He that is content with least, for autarkeia is nature’s wealth.’

I am blessed by the fact that Paul reminds us that he had to learn the lesson himself. Apparently he suffered the same problem that we have. He must have been just as likely to be impatient and discontent as we are. I wonder if that fact that God took everything away from him and knocked out all the props had anything to do with him learning to be content.

My favourite classic novel is ‘Robinson Crusoe’. It is much more than a story about a guy stuck on an island. The story of his salvation is well worth a study in itself. However, the great theme after salvation was learning to be content with what he had. For years he dreamed of what he might have had if he had not been shipwrecked. But gradually, after his salvation, he learned to be totally at peace with where he was and the lot God gave him. I am away from home at the moment, but if I have my marked copy of the book to hand I would share where he finally learned that his desires were to be bound by what he already had, that contentment was nature’s true wealth.

The problem is that we far too often try to manipulate our situation to bring about contentment. We think ‘If I only had this or that, if I was only here or there, I would be content.’ Crusoe learned that contentment had to come first. When he learned to be content he saw himself as master of his own land. He saw the wealth of resources available to him. He saw himself as alive and a child of God. He saw all the good that God had provided.

Had his circumstances changed? No, he was still stuck all alone on an island. But he had learned that true wealth comes in being bound by what he already had. Contentment is freedom from stuff and situations!

Just Do It!

The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4v9


A few years ago Nike ran an ad campaign built around the theme, ‘Just Do It!” Although it was all about a very humanistic, worldly centred, and Epicurean lifestyle, this verse always makes me think of those ads.

Those ads were, in another sense, saying that rather than just around thinking about being an athlete, go out and do something about it. Put down your remote, get out of your easy chair, and go do it! In that sense they are not so bad. Theory is not enough, living vicariously is not enough. If we are going to accomplish anything, we have to go do it.

Here Paul says, in essence, “I have told you what to do. Instead of being careful be thankful. Pray about everything. Choose the right thoughts. Now do it. Just do it.” If we don’t do it, then we are simply not going to be able to experience the peace of God. It is when we ‘do it’ that the peace of God is going to be with us.

If we don’t do it, the only peace we are going to have is our own peace, and we all know how well that works.