Unbound: Freedom in a Digital Worldنموونە

Don't you just want to hand Paul an iPhone when you read this passage?

He longs to see and hear from the church in Colossae. Colossae was a small, rural community that Paul would have had to intentionally go out of his way to visit. Although he didn’t plant the church in Colossae, he's heard so much about them. He reminds them that he is with them in spirit even though he is absent in body.

FaceTime would serve Paul well. He could see a few smiles on the brothers and sisters who are still gathering, still faithful despite a culture constantly trying to lead them elsewhere. He could pop in for their worship time or catch up with mutual friends. Paul would love that because he could encourage them more specifically and routinely to keep growing in Christ.

It’s important to notice in this passage that Paul expects the believers in Colossae to grow into maturity. This isn't wishful thinking! It is the main calling of those who want to be known as disciples of Jesus. In the most simple definition, a disciple is a student. We are Jesus' students in the same way that the first generation of disciples were in Paul's day. We would think it absurd to be called a student without ever learning anything or growing in any way. In the same way it is absurd to be called a disciple without expecting to grow into maturity.

There are so many different ways that the Holy Spirit encourages and cultivates this growth in our life. Paul specifically points to one at the end of this passage. In 2:5 he applauds the Colossians for their discipline. Growth takes discipline. We have adopted in our culture a puritanic view of discipline. We think it's important but we also think that hard discipline cannot be joyful, fun, or engaging.

I am currently teaching T-ball to 5 and 6-year-olds. It is something that every parent should have to endure in their life at least once. We've learned a lot of things like how to hit off a tee, how to throw to a base, and how to field a ball. We've also learned what direction you run around the bases and what direction it's okay to throw your bat in! At our first game I had to teach a lesson that I didn't see coming. We were playing the field when the first ball was hit and all of the kids, no matter where I had positioned them around the field, took off in a massive horde towards the ball. They doggy piled on top of one another screaming and kicking and trying to grab the ball. Maybe you’ve witnessed this scene. I I knew immediately that I had to teach them the discipline to stay in their own area, to field their own position. By the end of the third inning I watched as one of the smaller girls fielded a ball and then threw a strike to first base with a big smile! The joy of T-ball, at least until she got bored again, came through discipline.

It is possible that there is a joy waiting for our life that we have yet to receive because of an undisciplined reliance upon our phone. We recognize this and yet the addiction is so strong that we immediately grasp it. We need joyful discipline to break our habits and addictions.

Practice growing into maturity today by incorporating one small, new discipline with your phone. Maybe you decided not to pick it up until a certain time in the morning. Maybe you decided to put it away every evening at a certain time. In your life what is one disciplined step of growth that will help bring you joy.