Daily Scripture: Colossians 2:1 For I want you to know how hard I work for you, for those in Laodicea, and for the rest of those who have not met me personally. 2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged, that they may be joined together in love, and that they may have all the riches derived from being assured of understanding and fully knowing God’s secret truth, which is — the Messiah! 3 It is in him that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.
Reflection Question:
Paul tirelessly taught people about Jesus. He brought to his teaching the deep Biblical knowledge from his rabbinic training (cf. Acts 22:3), and the practical, life-shaping principles he learned in ministering to real people. When he described "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" found in Christ, he meant that as a truly all-inclusive statement. Those treasures are worth our best efforts—intellectual, emotional and spiritual—to find.
Scholar Maxie Dunnam wrote, "An experiential relationship with Jesus Christ, not assent to dogma or doctrinal propositions, is the foundation for the Christian life. This does not mean we can be sloppy in our thinking….right thinking—right in the sense of being hard, honest, clear, disciplined—is essential if we are going to communicate the gospel effectively….Paul is not demeaning philosophy, great learning or intellectual growth; he was warning against the subtle mixing of Christian thought with false philosophy, and the effort to syncretize the Christian message with the vogue philosophy of the day." What helps you to do hard, honest, clear, disciplined thinking as a part of your experiential love relationship with Jesus? Are you more often tempted to overvalue or to undervalue the "head" aspect of your faith journey?
Family Activity:
Pastor Adam is in Zimbabwe, Africa teaching and preaching to students at Africa University. Jesus was a teacher and spent much of his time helping others learn about God and God's kingdom. As a family, talk about ways you are teachers of God and God's ways. Do you teach with your words and tell others about God and his love? Do you teach with your actions as you serve other people? Maybe you teach others about God by being kind, patient, generous, or a good listener. Commit to intentionally teaching someone about God and God's love this week. Share your stories and experiences with your family. Pray for one another and pray for Pastor Adam as you all follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you that I get to have you as my Master, guide and friend. Thank you that because you are "Lord," I no longer have to figure out life all on my own. Keep me treasuring the wisdom and knowledge I find in knowing you. Amen.Insight from Julie Peters
Julie Peters is the Associate Director of Student Ministries at The Church of the Resurrection.
“I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:1-3, New International Version)
I was truly excited when I saw that this scripture was assigned to my post in the Insights blog. When I read these verses and thought about how Adam has been preaching from Africa, I was transported back to my own mission experience. Let me focus on one particular community in South Africa, Mariannridge, a place formational in my own faith journey.
Over the years, I have led numerous trips for young people to South Africa and interacted with this community, referred to as “the Ridge.” This community is very poverty stricken and loses many promising young leaders to AIDS, starvation, drugs and violence. After spending a week at an adventure camp with young leaders from Resurrection and from the Ridge, it became apparent to each of us that we were there to encourage one another and be united in Christ’s love for God’s good purpose in each of our lives. We came from very different places in life…and yet, we held so many things in common. We are all humans who are seeking hope and meaning in life. And in that place, nearly 40 lives were intertwined and given new insight into this mystery that Paul speaks of in our scripture today.
When I ponder Paul’s words to this church in Laodicea, I also think about the words given to John for Laodicea in Revelation 3, warning the church about being lukewarm and dying in comfortable riches. In a small camp in Africa, surrounded by so much natural beauty and so much human struggle, there was no room for lukewarm. You could either engage in real community, gaining treasures of wisdom and knowledge, or ignore it completely…there was no room for middle ground. And years later, we still have relationships and encouragement as a unique community, through updates and prayer requests across the ocean.
Every time I open an email with prayer requests for the people of Mariannridge, I get a glimpse of what Paul means when he says that he contends for the people of the church that he knows and doesn’t know. His goal is for them to be united in love, be encouraged, and have the riches of the mystery of Christ. For them and for us, unpacking this mystery day by day, brings hope and meaning to life as we begin to understand the eternal relationship the God of all creationoffers us. Finding ways to keep the passion alive and seek this treasure in my day to day life is one of my biggest challenges in my faith journey. And this is just as true for me in Kansas, today, as it was in Africa, on that mountaintop.
So each day every follower of Christ must make a choice. Today, do I choose to be awake, alive, and inspired to follow a risen Christ and encounter the true treasures in life? Or, today will I allow real treasure to be drowned in a lukewarm sea of temporary, comfortable, riches of the world? I pray that day by day we will make the choices that make each day count!
Church of the Resurrection
“I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:1-3, New International Version)
I was truly excited when I saw that this scripture was assigned to my post in the Insights blog. When I read these verses and thought about how Adam has been preaching from Africa, I was transported back to my own mission experience. Let me focus on one particular community in South Africa, Mariannridge, a place formational in my own faith journey.
Over the years, I have led numerous trips for young people to South Africa and interacted with this community, referred to as “the Ridge.” This community is very poverty stricken and loses many promising young leaders to AIDS, starvation, drugs and violence. After spending a week at an adventure camp with young leaders from Resurrection and from the Ridge, it became apparent to each of us that we were there to encourage one another and be united in Christ’s love for God’s good purpose in each of our lives. We came from very different places in life…and yet, we held so many things in common. We are all humans who are seeking hope and meaning in life. And in that place, nearly 40 lives were intertwined and given new insight into this mystery that Paul speaks of in our scripture today.
When I ponder Paul’s words to this church in Laodicea, I also think about the words given to John for Laodicea in Revelation 3, warning the church about being lukewarm and dying in comfortable riches. In a small camp in Africa, surrounded by so much natural beauty and so much human struggle, there was no room for lukewarm. You could either engage in real community, gaining treasures of wisdom and knowledge, or ignore it completely…there was no room for middle ground. And years later, we still have relationships and encouragement as a unique community, through updates and prayer requests across the ocean.
Every time I open an email with prayer requests for the people of Mariannridge, I get a glimpse of what Paul means when he says that he contends for the people of the church that he knows and doesn’t know. His goal is for them to be united in love, be encouraged, and have the riches of the mystery of Christ. For them and for us, unpacking this mystery day by day, brings hope and meaning to life as we begin to understand the eternal relationship the God of all creationoffers us. Finding ways to keep the passion alive and seek this treasure in my day to day life is one of my biggest challenges in my faith journey. And this is just as true for me in Kansas, today, as it was in Africa, on that mountaintop.
So each day every follower of Christ must make a choice. Today, do I choose to be awake, alive, and inspired to follow a risen Christ and encounter the true treasures in life? Or, today will I allow real treasure to be drowned in a lukewarm sea of temporary, comfortable, riches of the world? I pray that day by day we will make the choices that make each day count!
Church of the Resurrection
gpsonline@cor.org
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
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