28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching
everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within
me. Colossians 1:28-29
Paul is clear on his mission…what
he toils for…to present EVERYONE mature in Christ.
His methods include:
Proclaiming Christ – in HIM
is where we place our hope. Christ is the message.
Warning everyone – so many
times in the Bible we are told to be alert, to watch out for false prophets and
deceivers. Satan is the master deceiver. He mixes in a little bit of truth with
a lot of lies. He plants doubt and dangles things we desire that distract us
from keeping our focus on Jesus. If we aren’t actively seeking God, we are at
risk for being tricked by the devil.
Teaching everyone with all wisdom – wisdom is required for learning. God says if we are
deficient in wisdom, we can ask Him for it and He will give it to us generously.
(James 1:5) As we learn and uncover truths, we must teach them to others. We
need each other to wrestle with the hard stuff and teach each other the things
God reveals to us.
All of these things Paul does, THAT…
We may present everyone mature in Christ.
This is the goal. Maturity in Christ.
An ongoing process that never ends.
Paul is committed. He toils for
this. But he doesn’t toil in vain, in
his own power. He works hard toward this mission and ministry with all of
God’s energy that He powerfully works within him.
We will never be successful when
the two aren’t combined. Work is required. We can’t just sit back and rest on a
powerful God doing His thing without our efforts. Of course He can do that, but
that isn’t the way it works. God wants us in the game. It is part of our
maturity and there is joy in being a part of His plan unfolding. BUT, we can’t
run full speed ahead getting to work without tapping into God’s energy and
power. This only creates exhaustion, burn out and unsustainable efforts.
With the end in mind – knowing that
we want to reap spiritual maturity for ourselves and those in our circle of influence
– we have to sow the things that will get us there.
“If we don’t plant the right things,
we will reap the wrong things.” Maya Angelou
“The problems
in life come when we’re sowing one thing and expecting to reap something
entirely different.” Stephen Covey
What can we do to constantly plant,
water, fertilize that which we hope will grow healthy in us? What can we sow
now to reap maturity in Christ?
Here’s some things to consider…Set
time aside daily to read God’s word, find a good devotional to read in the
morning, sign up for a Bible study, join or start a small group to discuss what
you are learning with others, listen to Christian music, download a sermon
podcast on a topic you are struggling with and take a long walk while you
listen to it, pray to God throughout the day.
If we want to reap spiritual maturity in Christ, we have to
toil in the sowing, leaning on God’s power and asking for His wisdom.
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