12/28/10 - Let The Peace of Christ Control Your Hearts

Colossians 3:12-17

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
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This was part of the second reading last Sunday.  These verses are referred to directly 7 separate times in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  I'm thinking that means we need to pay attention to them.

They describe what a person who lives "life in the spirit" is like.  He is compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient.  Over all, he is loving, because he understands that love is "the bond of perfection" that ties all other virtues together.   He lets the peace of Christ control his heart.  The word of Christ dwells in him richly.

This is the target for all of us.  It is so easy for us to say it's impossible, to say that we're sinners and always will be, and use that thought to conclude that we don't need to try to live the life that Paul describes.  That's dangerous thinking, because God clearly expects us to try and get there. 

If we persevere in this effort, and trust in him, he will help us when we fall short.  Eventually we will be transformed. 

Daily - 10/23/08

Colossians 2:1-3

1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I am having for you and for those in Laodicea and all who have not seen me face to face,

2 that their hearts may be encouraged as they are brought together in love, to have all the richness of fully assured understanding, for the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ,

3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

There is a ton of information in these three verses. Take the time to think about what Paul is saying here ... richness, understanding, knowledge, mystery, treasures, wisdom. These are lofty things. There is a mystery that we have been given the keys to. It contains hidden treasures.

How do we get to those hidden treasures? This isn’t an intellectual puzzle to be solved – God didn’t set up a system where only the brilliant can find answers. The answers come directly from God – through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and obedience. That comes from seeking God, asking for spiritual growth, and remaining in God (ie, obedience to God’s commands).

St. Thomas Aquinas calls this divine revelation, which can be a scary concept for some. The world mocks divine revelation.

Daily - 10/13/08

Colossians 1:9-14

9 Therefore, from the day we heard this, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding

10 to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God,

11 strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.

13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Here Paul gives us another glimpse of what faith in God can bring. Does spiritual wisdom and understanding sound good to anyone?

· That we are filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding

· That we live in a manner pleasing to the Lord (ie, obedience to his commands)

· That our works bear fruit (this is the spiritual fruit that comes from remaining in Christ)

· That we grow in the knowledge of God

· That we are strengthened with every power, in accordance with his glorious might

Paul is speaking about much more than just being a "good guy." He’s talking about the life that results from a full commitment to God, where continually we seek him through prayer, through searching his Word, and through the sacraments. There is so much out there for us if we continue to seek God, turn ourselves over to Him, and ask Him to build us into what He wants us to be.

Broken record alert: Remember that this doesn’t happen on its own. Paul prays for all of this to occur (ie, seeks it from God). God won’t force us into this life. He shows us little bits and pieces, and we decide if that’s what we want. We need to to seek it from God, and make ourselves available to him.

Daily - 6/27/08

Colossians 3:1-16

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

2 Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.

3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.

6 Because of these the wrath of God is coming (upon the disobedient).

7 By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way.

8 But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.

9 Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices

10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.

11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.

14 And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.

15 And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
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Colossians 3 gives instruction on Christian living. Note that this teaching comes in 4 parts:

· Verses 1-4: Paul reiterates that conversion to Christ involves a new creation. The worldly self passes away and the new life is filled by Christ. This is repeated in many places in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:19-20, Glatians 5:24-25, Ephesians 2:4-5, etc.).

· Verses 5-9: A list of "don’ts" – things that we do "in the flesh" that we are called to "put to death." Paul gives us a nice long list of things to work on.

· Verses 11-14: A list of "do’s" – which is similar to the listing of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Above all things, put on love.

· Verses 15-16 – let the peace of Christ control your heart, and let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

At first, second, and third glance, the list can seem onerous and restrictive. However, I have found that the closer I get to Christ, the easier it is for me to be obedient. The Scripture backs this up:

1 John 5:1-5

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves (also) the one begotten by him.

2 In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments.

3 For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome,

4 for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.

5 Who (indeed) is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Daily - 4/24/08

The Bible has quite a bit to say about itself. Here are a few examples:

Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

2 Timothy 3:16-17: All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Hebrews 4:12: Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.

Isaiah 40:7-8: The grass withers, the flower wilts, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it. (So then, the people is the grass.) Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever."

Isaiah 55:10-11: For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down, And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.

Immediately after his baptism, Jesus was led into the desert to be tempted by Satan. Many of us remember that Jesus responded to Satan’s temptation with Scripture. But also note that Satan himself used Scripture:

Matthew 4:1-11

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.

3 The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread."

4 He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'"

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

7 Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'"

8 Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,

9 and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."

10 At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'"

11 Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

We’ve been given a tool that is alive and is extremely powerful – causing effects in those that receive it. It does not return void, it separates bone and marrow, soul and spirit. The tool is so powerful that Satan tried to use it against Christ himself! To me, the message in all of this is clear – we are called to be familiar with the Word of God, and call upon it in our daily lives.