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Our busy lives make it easy to get distracted. So many obligations pull at our attention, robbing us of focus. The same is true in our walks with Christ. Material possessions occupy our thoughts and dreams. We can fall into the trap of loving those possessions we have or yearning to possess the trinkets and toys that other people own. We also make mistakes with our time, our priorities, and our values. Against this backdrop is what Paul writes to the Colossian church who had forgotten that Christ should be the first priority in their lives. Christ is the fullness of God’s glory in human form. If we are stable and steadfast in our faith, we will be presented holy and blameless before God because of our faith in Him. Paul speaks specifically of empty philosophies and empty deceit that was leading the Colossian church astray. In the same way, empty philosophies and promises of our modern world seek to lead us astray. Instead of being led astray, we need to stay rooted and planted in what we believed when we became Christians and to what we read in the Bible.
This is the primary purpose of the letter of Colossians. To remind believers that many times in our lives we will be tempted to move beyond what we have learned in Scripture, but we must always test the rules, regulations, and philosophies that world leaders, even church leaders would put on us because many of these things have the appearance of wisdom but actually have no value to us who desire to follow Christ. Always remember that the highest authority in our lives is Christ and that the words we read in the Bible are the standard by which we know how to live. Do not be distracted by the cares of this world but instead set your mind on things that are above not the things that are of this earth. For the cares and distractions of this world are short-lived, but Christ is eternal.
Reflection Questions:
What are some distractions that seek to remove your attention from Christ?
What are practical steps you can take to set your mind on the things that are above (Col 3:2)?
About this Plan
The apostle Paul was primarily responsible for spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles. Throughout his missionary journeys, he planted churches in cities all over the Roman Empire. He cared for each church and its members and even wrote letters to many of them. In this study, we’ll examine the major themes of each letter to the church and what it means for our lives today.
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