Colossians 2

Paul says “(2)My purpose 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, (3) in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” This is a wonderful statement of how we should live as Christians.

We should be “encouraged in heart”. There are many, many reasons to rejoice and be encouraged as Christians, but I will name just a few. Jesus Christ died for our sins and won us a great victory over death. Because of His sacrifice, we may live eternal; that is a great encouragement in itself! Also, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are able to commune directly to God the Father; no longer bound by the old laws, which Paul discusses later in this chapter. Also, we have the help of the Holy Spirit, which know resides within us, guiding and helping, all the time, every day. Hold your head high, be proud to be a child of God, be encouraged that He is watching over you.

We should also be “united in love”, united as Christians helping, supporting one another, growing together, united in Christ Jesus. As Jesus said in Luke 11:17 “Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.” If we are separated through bickering, in-fighting, jealousy, or anything for that matter, we will fall and fail our Heavenly Father. We must be united serving God’s will for His glory!

Paul wrote his purpose in hope for the people to do these things to experience “the full riches of complete understanding” so we may know God and His will and Son as completely as humanly possible. Why? Because divine understanding, wisdom and knowledge is infinitely superior to our human understanding. So, if you find yourself constantly making the same mistakes (or similar ones), searching for reason or purpose, floundering for the right decisions, then it sounds like you don’t have the knowledge or wisdom to help yourself. Don’t feel bad, I’ve been there many, many times, and still face it now (when I don’t listen to God). But, if you have or are facing these things, wouldn’t turning over the decisions to someone of infinite, divine wisdom make more sense? Absolutely, that’s a “no brainer”. Isn’t it awesome that we have the ability to do that! We can go directly to God in prayer, to seek His guidance and wisdom, which is exactly what I (and Paul) encourage you to do.

I know I’ve been all over the board here today but I just felt it necessary to mention these things. To recap, be encouraged, we have much to be thankful for. Be united, let’s work together for Jesus, instead of tearing each other apart. Seek God’s will, for His wisdom and knowledge is not only better than ours, but because of His love for us, it is also better for us. God bless each and every one of you.