The Christian Living in a World of Self-Made Religion

Malachi
Malachi
Jul 10, 2017 · 3 min read

Colossians 1–2

We live in a world where people believe your emotions should decide your morality. If something makes you feel bad then it must be bad, right? Maybe in secular culture, but definitely not in biblical culture. In Colossians Paul writes from jail explaining the joy in his sufferings (Colossians 1:24). He is in prison which is inherently a bad place but somehow he experiences joy. This joy comes from the fact that he is using his flesh to share Christ’s afflictions. This is such a powerful illustration for us as Christians, so often we can get caught up in the idea that we are not where we want to be and that feeling makes us anxious, but in those moment we should turn our heart’s to God and listen to his plan for us to find the joy he so clearly tells us he wants for us.

This can be very difficult especially when you see people around you going on vacations, getting married, or moving to that city you’ve always wanted to live in. To overcome this, we must remember that we have an all-powerful God and that all things were made in him, and for him (Colossians 1:15–17). This is so much greater than anything this world has to offer us. Although God created vacations and marriage to enjoy he also created prison for Paul glorify the Gospel in. Prison continues to be a place where many people come to know Jesus very intimately. This is what makes God so amazing, what seems like a terrible place in our culture can often be a place where the Lord moves the most. Vacations or prison, God created all things for His glory.

So we must stand strong in our faith and remember that no one shall dilute our understanding of His word (Colossians 2: 4–5). We will face arguments every day against our Lord and in ways we may not recognize. Whether it be comments made by our peers or just passing noises in the media, it is not something we can remain blind to. We must remember that Jesus is the authority over all and when we are feeling swayed we must return to our Bibles and Christian community to be reminded of the Lord’s plan, not the world’s plan.

When Jesus died on the Cross he showed the entire world that their rules were just worldly definitions and had no place in eternity (Colossians 2:15). In the case of Colossians these definitons were standards for living with God, like circumcision or The Sabboth. Now, many years later, our culture is still being defined as good and bad by humans but this should not influence Christians. For example, divorce has become widely accepted by many people in North America but if you had asked someone 50 years ago what they thought about the idea of divorce they would have been much less accepting. If you asked a Christian that question 50 years ago and today their answer should remain the same. This is because the Bible grounds us in God’s will and that is exactly what Paul was explaining to the Colossians. We must trust that His plan is the greatest plan, even if it seems like divorce is acceptable because many people around you are falling into it. That marriage you are struggling in may be the equivalent of Paul’s experience in prison. It feels like suffering but God has put you there to find joy you never expected and use it to glorify him.

If God sends you to a place that seems like prison while everyone else is on vacation, remember Paul. Remember his Joy in suffering and remember his advice to the Colossians (Colossians 2:20). The world will try and tell you “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” but do not follow those philosophies, follow that of Jesus Christ and you will remain in his love for eternity.

Malachi

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Malachi

Reminders of God’s grace and our inability to live without it.

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