May 21, 2018
Writing to the Christians in Colossae about his calling to preach the Gospel, Paul says something unusual: “We preach [Christ], warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” That isn’t the unusual part. He follows these words that I would expect with ones that surprise me: “I labor for this, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
One would think that if the energy of Christ that raised him from death is powerfully at work in me, I wouldn’t have to be laboring or struggling; life would be a piece of cake. Of course, it is not. Life is more like a gristly, tough, old steak that all but breaks our teeth. His resurrection energy doesn’t replace my own; it gives it life and strength. Elsewhere, Paul speaks of boasting in his weakness so that the power of Christ may rest upon him, for “when I am weak, then I am strong.” It’s a paradox; a truth that on the surface cannot possibly be true. And it’s a good thing, too.
Whenever I’ve gotten overconfident, I’ve gotten in trouble. It’s good to stretch, to dream and take a risk for Jesus, trusting in his leading and provision, but it is deceptively easy to subtly drift from trusting in Jesus to trusting in the latest guru, the newest fad, or my own experience and wisdom. Paul’s words steer us between the Scylla of human effort and the Charybdis of a Christian laziness that refuses responsibility for holiness, evangelism, and discipleship. I am thankful tonight for the whole counsel of God in the Holy Scriptures that instructs us for life in this world with a view to the next.
No comments:
Post a Comment