Christ in me, the hope of glory - colossians 1

i am (for the most part) your typical american. i like hamburgers and freedom french fries. i like baseball and watch the super bowl. i know nothing about world politics and i (unfortunately) also make new years resolutions. even my resolutions have been pretty american. stop eating sweets. lose ten pounds. facebook less. well this go-round my resolution is different. 

i want to spend more sweet time with the Lord.

thanks to one of my bestest friends, who is probably the only one reading this, i began reading the book of colossians today. i did a study on this a few years back, but as i've always been taught...you never graduate from the Gospel.

before i begin with what i learned from my quiet time today i want to make it known that i do not believe myself to be an expert on Scripture or claim to know all the answers. i am a servant of the Lord striving to please Him. if anything i say does not resonate well with you(if there even is a you), please do not hesitate to speak with me about it. i am a religion major and therefore love religious discourse :)

a little history
the book of colossians was written to the church of colosse in about 60AD. colosse was a
pretty major city in asia-minor (now modern day turkey) because it was situated on a trade
route leading to ephesus. colosse did not stay a popular city since other cities began thriving
close by but it remained important to Christianity. 


the theme of colossians is the preeminence and supremacy of Christ. paul then takes these points and compares them with the emptiness of human philosophy and worldly things. he begins his letter with thanksgiving over colosse which can also be seen in many of his other letters (romans, ephesians philippians, etc.) 

paul's prayer over colosse begins in verse nine. he writes "since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you." i believe this can be an example to Christians everywhere. similarly to how Jesus prayed for his disciples and all believers in john 17, paul also prays for other believers and does so without ceasing. paul followed Jesus' example and although he is writing in chains from prison, he is praying for others, not himself. we too should follow the example of Jesus and of paul and consistently pray for other believers.

 paul prays for us in order that we may live a life worthy to the Lord (v 10-12)
      -bearing good fruit
      -growing in knowledge
      -being strengthened in all power in order to be patient in every circumstance
      -joyfully giving thanks to God


the next section of his letter addresses the supremacy of Christ, listing 15 (yes i counted) attributes of Christ. some of my favorites were:
                                          -He is before all things (v 17)
                                          -in Him you have been given fullness and brought to perfection (v 19)
                                          -through Him all things are reconciled (v 20)

chapter one ends with a beautiful statement:
"to them God has chosen to make known among the gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
 this formula excites me and hopefully excites you, too. Christ within you is the only hope for glory. we can approach Him directly - no intermediaries necessary. He is within us, and through us His glory will go forth. 


it's funny how the Lord shows Himself throughout your day. last night i was listening to tim hughes' song "everything" (i'll post the lyrics below). i was finding myself having an anxious heart and not trusting what the Lord is doing in my life. i made my facebook status a line from the song. no big deal. so today i open up my bible and begin to read colossians. and there it was in all it's beauty a line from the same song: Christ in me, Christ in me, Christ in me, the hope and glory, be my everything.


 some may call it coincidence but i call it God.



everything by tim hughes

God in my living
there in my breathing
God in my waking
God in my sleeping

God in my resting
there in my working
God in my thinking
God in my speaking

be my everything

God in my hoping
there in my dreaming
God in my watching
God in my waiting

God in my laughing
there in my weeping
God in my hurting
God in my healing

be my everything

Christ in me
Christ in me
Christ in me the hope of glory
You are everything

Christ in me
Christ in me
Christ in me the hope of glory
be my everything

be my everything
You are everything
Jesus, everything