Seeds for 03/17/2023 - Colossians 3:4
Scripture: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Observation: Paul seems to be looking to the future, to Christ’s return. The doctrine of the second coming goes in some interesting directions quickly. Fortunately, we don’t have to parse out a lot of specifics that neither have wide consensus among orthodox Christians nor are found here in this verse. What we do have here are a pair of important affirmations.
First, I love the phrase, “who is your life.” Jesus gives us life—eternal and abundant. Jesus holds our life in His hands. Still, the phrase evokes something even more—“Christ, who is your life.” Jesus is absolutely central. He is our life. This goes both directions. It is a promise from scripture to us about who Christ will be for us through faith and an affirmation that we make when we put our faith in Him. He will not be simply one more positive influence or important figure to us. Vital faith in Jesus affirms that He is our life.
Second, “When Christ… appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Whatever we may make of future things, the affirmation in this verse communicates something like this: “As Christ goes, so goes those who are in Christ.” Saving trust in Jesus means that we have thrown our lot in with Him. What becomes of Christ will become of us too. Certainly this is why the call to follow Jesus and become a disciple includes stern instruction about the importance of taking up our cross and embracing self-denial as part and parcel to the Christian life. When the time came for the cross, Jesus surrendered His will to that of the Father and purchased our redemption. We are called to that same full surrender. And Christ triumphed victoriously over death when He rose again. So shall we. He will come again in glory and we shall “appear with Him.”
When we throw our lot in with Christ, we are called to follow Him when it’s hard. We are also promised that we’ll share in His victory and be glorified with Him.
Application: Is Jesus an important part of your life, or is He at the center of your life?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for drawing me into your Life and for promising that I will share in the victory of Jesus, in this life and in that to come. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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