After getting back into the country, I spent some time in Colossians.
(1:16) || If all things were created by Him and for Him, does that mean the bad things too? Hitler? Stalin? Bin Ladin?
(1:22) || I love how Paul basically equates the salvation of the world down into a simple equation. Christ body + Christ death = Holy You.
(1:22-28) || I've blogged on this several times, but the idea that Paul is a workaholic who struggled to understand the power that God gives him is a huge encouragement to me. Knowing that he "struggled" to preach the "fullness" of the gospel shows me that even successful Christians wrestle with their calling!
(2:1) || Paul uses the same word again... "struggling". I always thought of Paul as this confident, demanding go-getter type, not someone who struggles...
(2:8) || This is the key verse of C28. It was also the cornerstone of my talk in Ukraine. Question your faith! Is it of Human Tradition or of Christ!
(2:16) || Following a response to my blog on "Blue Laws" and judgmental Christians, I found this in my notes again: "Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a Sabbath day.
(2:20) || I had a Matrix moment reading this verse. Since you died to the world, why do you still allow it to control you. I pictured Neo getting the snot beat out of him by Morpheus in "the Matrix", having a hard time breathing. Morpheus ends up saying "why are you breathing hard? do you think that's air you're breathing?"
(3:8) || "rid yourself of anger"... how does this differ from Jesus' flipping over the moneychangers table. "filthy language from your lips"... I never really understood who defines "filthy". Is it Biblical? How does God keep up with cultural changes. What's God's opinion of fo' shizel. I am only half-kidding here. How is filthy language defined?
(3:17) || "whatever you do, work or deed"... sounds like another one of my definitive verses. It's okay to be a workaholic as long as you do it for the Lord "giving thanks to God the Father".
(4:5) || "Make the most of every opportunity" - yet another challenge. This book really challenges me to go harder.
(4:12) || "wrestling in prayer". Ever have one of those prayer sessions where you break a sweat? I think that is just the tip. Man, how great would it be for Paul to say of me, yeah, that guy goes to the mat when he prays. Good job Epaphras!
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