Better Than (Olympic) Gold!

For some reason, I am overwhelmed by Colossians 3 and lacking focus.  It strikes me as a mother sending her son off on a trip.  "Remember this....OH! And, don't forget that!"
Then, also, it is all so important....
I figure I may be in this chapter for a while.

So, let's get started.  Focus.  Focus.

Paul actually begins with talking about focus and about priorities.  Life is like a huge banquet of food choices (I was into the food thing yesterday...looks like I have not left...).  We get to choose what we put on our plates.  We had better choose well, if we want to be healthy, and of course, this goes for both the physical and the spiritual realms.

1Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.2Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, 3for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:1-3 (NET)

Keep seeking the things that are above.  Choose this.  Don't choose that.  Seek this.  Don't seek that.
Keep thinking about this, not about that.  Olympians aren't the only ones who make critical choices all the time.  We all do.  It's just that some of us choose better than others, more often!  It seems like, every day, we hear more and more stories of our fellow men and women who chose heartbreak. Perhaps that is why we love the Olympics so much!

Paul shows us the motivation for making holy choices:  because we have made the choice to surrender Christ's lordship, to live for Him, which requires dying to ourselves.  Paul talks about this in many of his letters. When we accept Jesus' offer of salvation, our lives are then hidden with Christ in God.

What does this mean?

Again, verse 3 speaks of a finality, a "done deal".  Dying is pretty final.  So, when Paul uses the euphemism of "dying" to self, in one sense it connotes a final transaction, forever sealed and sure.
In another sense, Paul speaks of "dying daily" to the old nature's desires and wants, and this is why he admonishes the Colossians to "dwell on" (in some translations) righteous things.

In another layer of meaning, I love how there is a layer of protection and safe-keeping implied here, not that God will protect His children from all pain or trouble or stress, but that, in the final analysis we are His, and He is ours, forever.  One day, when we move into His presence eternally, all such heartache will end.

The fact that Christians are "hidden with Christ in God" does NOT mean that we should hide our faith, or only trot it out during trying circumstances.  Jesus proclaimed that "a city set on a hill cannot be hid".  If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit will most definitely shine forth through you!

Currently, the 2016 Olympics are taking place, with millions watching on television.  And, the first black American woman to win a gold medal for swimming is a Christian.  She doesn't hide it either. When Simone Manuel of Texas won her Olympic spot, after being deemed a "long shot", she tweeted out on Twitter:  "All glory to God! Isn't he awesome?"  Other 2016 Olympians who are Christians and not shy about it include:  Maya DiRado, who said, "My faith frees me to dream big!" and who also medaled for the United States, and David Boudia, who is already a gold medal winner from 2012, but just won the silver a few days ago for synchronized diving.  David has a book coming out soon:  Greater than Gold: From Olympic Heartbreak to Ultimate Redemption.   1

What marvelous examples of not hiding one's faith, but instead living it out gloriously!  Many in the world will say, "How do they do it?  What incredible force is at work in them to account for this seemingly superhuman performance? What is their secret?"  To that extent, the Christian's life is "hidden with Christ in God".  Jesus Christ, a relationship with Him, is the secret, the best secret, a secret ... better than gold!


Source:

1   http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/august-web-only/meet-rio-olympians-who-put-god-before-gold.html

Beware the Joy-Killers!

We can observe with some bemusement how Paul did not use his revision skills so aptly in the letter to the Philippian church. When we examine the end of chapter 2, it appears Paul is about to tack a closing onto his letter.  And, in that vein, at the beginning of the next chapter, our text for today, the first word is "Finally".

But, then, after admonishing the Philippians to "rejoice in the Lord", he seems to think of something that steals his joy - - - fake Christians who actively work against evangelistic efforts, specifically, his efforts to establish Christian congregations.  And, he takes off on a vehement rant!  (lol)

Who are these people to so inspire Paul's ire and condemnation?  He speaks here of two categories of opponents, whose intent is to divide and to lure away into error gullible believers.

You have met the first group in others of Paul's letters.   They were commonly called "Judaizers". These are those who formerly disdained Gentile peoples, referring to them as "dogs" not worthy of salvation, which is why Paul refers to the troublemakers as "dogs" here in verses 2-3: (All today's Scripture references are from the New English Translation - - NET.)

2Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! 3For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials

These evil-doers had written off the entire Gentile world (which was the greatest majority of the world, for goodness' sake!), prior to Paul and others evangelizing it.  As Christian missionaries spread the gospel message to non-Jewish people groups, such as the Philippians, Judaizers would come in right behind them and slap a whole bunch of Jewish tradition, rules, regulations, etc. on them in the vein of "You can't be a Christian unless you do all this Jewish rigamarole too."  The chiefest of these was, of course, circumcision, which Paul specifically mentions here.

This group exalted "rules" and "behaviors" over loving relationships, which are the essence, the bedrock foundation, of the Christian walk.  Paul was intimately acquainted with the "rule-worshipping life", because he had formerly lived it (vs. 5-6).

We see the second group in verses 18-19:

18For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.19Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things.

Hmmmm.......

What are the descriptors of this group of joy-killers?  The over-riding characteristic is that they are more focused on earthly things than on the mission Christ has given every Christian.   (I'll focus on that mission in the next post or two.)  Their focus is on satisfying their own fleshly appetites, of various kinds.

We are all tempted by something, or by several somethings, even those of us who have been adopted by Jesus Christ, who are His children, His transformed saints!  None of us is immune to temptation. But, this group described here as "enemies of the cross of Christ" does not belong to Jesus Christ. They worship their own selfish desires.  Paul says "their god is their belly", and this has sometimes been interpreted to say that they are compulsive overeaters.  While that could be one manifestation, in the larger sense, these people give in to any and every fleshly desire which comes across their paths. And worse?  They rejoice in their carnality!

So, here Paul paints two extremes of ungodliness: one rejoices in their legalism and the other rejoices in their hedonism. Paul warns the Philippians to avoid both groups, as both are evil enemies who will divide churches and dampen the flame of holy, righteous joy. Although he is describing non-Christians, sometimes masquerading as Christians, Paul realizes that true believers can at times get "the stink" on them too.  This is why Paul says, "Beware!"  (Don't step in the dog poop!)

In the next post, we will examine the nature of the true believer in Jesus Christ.  Paul does that so magnificently here in chapter 3.  I can hardly wait to dig into that!

Lord God, it is so easy to "get slimed"!  I thank You for holy discernment (which often I am sadly lacking) and for forgiveness and cleansing and restoration.  Your saints, Your beloved need all of these to deal with "stepping in it" and getting the stink of sin on our lives.  Thank you for how You pick us up, clean us up and again restore our righteous joy when we come to You all dirty and marred by the enemies of the cross.  We worship You, our Savior and King!  In Jesus' name, amen.