Some much needed reminders from Colossians

#writeforthirty day 5

I am a pretty big fan of podcasts and one day maybe I will do a post on some of my faves but today I want to share some thoughts from a podcast that a friend sent to me earlier this week to give a listen to before we had our book club tomorrow night.  She thought it would be a nice "dovetail to our discussion on identity/eternal perspective" which is kind of what our book is covering.  Well this podcast did not disappoint.  Y'all I listened to it 4 times.  Yes you read that right.  Once last night and three times today.  I took copious notes.  The podcast found on The Gospel Coalition is called Eternal Outlook for Everyday Life by Gloria Furman.  And it just so happens its all about my favorite book of the Bible - Colossians.

Here are my takeaways ... praying even now as I write that you might be encouraged by these truths from Colossians.

In this day and age where our culture struggles with identity and looking to find what defines us this was a SOLID reminder of just exactly who I am and why having an eternal perspective even in the everyday ordinary is so vital. 

We are not living in much different times from the people in Colossae.  The Colossians were being threatened by false teachers.  These teachers were saying being in Christ just wasn't enough - you needed some extra stuff.  You aren't reaching your full potential and the riches and full assurance and understanding in the knowledge of God's mystery unless you are buying what the false teachers are selling.  The worst part is their diluted arguments were plausible, believable.  Colossians 2 says these teachings even have an appearance of wisdom!! Can you think of any extra fluff going around the world today that you could see yourself buying into?  I'ts out there.  How can we know what is really wise and what just looks like wisdom? Furman says we must have an eternal perspective.  We have to desperately know and understand our union with Jesus - who we are in Christ so that we can have a heavenly minded perspective to see the reality of our earthly lives.  

So what's the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about my life - is it that I am in Christ?
Colossians 3:3 says 

"For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."  

That's me!! My life is hidden with Christ in God.  Milton Vincent in The Gospel Primer says "being in Christ is the one great permanent circumstance in your life." So while I might live in different places, have different jobs, whether I have got my roots dug deep, or I am looking to plant my roots being in Christ is a permanent circumstance.  I will still be in Christ 40 trillion years from now.  

We live in a world that focuses lots on individualism and individualism makes being in Christ hard to understand.  We easily forget who we are in Christ.  We have all felt that empty ache, lonliness etc  - the problem lies in what we do with those empty feelings - I confess I often try to fill it with stuff that doesn't matter.  I don't always remember Col. 3:3 that my life is hidden in with Christ in God and who  it is this I am in hidden in... here comes my favorite part... this, this is who my life is in.  Colossians 1:15-20 says 

"HE is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by HIM all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through HIM and for HIM.  And HE is before all things, and in HIM all things hold together.  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.  For in HIM all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through HIM to reconcile to HIMSELF all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of HIS cross."

I just LOVE that part of Colossians! This tells me who Christ is and what He is doing keeping the cosmos together, saving me!  And the circumstances that come and go in my life are all a part of His plan to hasten the day of His coming! 

It is really tempting to see our lives defined by our earthly circumstances - the temporary things.  We need reminders from Colossians because the ins and outs of everyday life are right in front of our faces. In suffering AND in prosperity if we remind ourselves of these truths it will be much harder to be taken captive by the false teachings of the world. 

Whatever I'm feeling defined to - this life is not all there is.  God has put eternity in the hearts of men.  

There is a battle for the mind. We have to do the HARD work of remembering our life is hidden with Christ in God AND "when Christ who is your life appears then you also will appear with HIM in glory" (Col 3:4) The fun part of that is we will be raised in glory with the Colossians people! 

We have to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16) and then SLOWLY over time we will live like people who's lives are hidden with Christ in God setting our minds on things above because we are new creations living out our ordinary lives with a heavenly perspective because Jesus walked right out of that grave!  

Help us Lord - to remember who we are and whose we are.