A Letter From Paul

So, there’s a joke that goes around in our organization when someone says… “So, I was thinking…”  This is where someone will almost always jump in and ask, “Well, did it hurt?”  If you cannot sense the sarcasm and corny jokes that happen within our organization then let me just fill you in… it is pretty thick!  Anyways, “I was thinking” the other day…

If the apostle Paul was around today, and he wrote me a letter as he did to individuals and churches in New Testament, what would he write?  What would he encourage me with?  What would he rebuke me for?  What would he challenge me to?  

This was a really insightful exercise for me, and I thought I would share it with each of you.  If Paul took an intimate look into your life, how would he approach you in a letter?  Would he write to you spitting nails as it appears he did in the letter to the Galatians or would he write a more encouraging letter like Philippians?  Take some time and think through the three questions below as we look at the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossians.  These questions may provide some insight into how God is wanting to grow you currently.

What do I need to be encouraged about?

Do you ever take the time to stop and look at your life and celebrate how God has changed you?  I will always remember a quote I heard from a sermon from Matt Chandler years back where he described that we should always be able to look back a couple years in our life at any point and say, “What was I thinking?” He was saying that if we are in Christ then we are being changed by Him and we should always be able to look and see how He is changing us.  In Colossians 1:3-4, Paul celebrates this change in the Colossians by saying, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.”  Paul had heard from his friend Epaphras how the Colossians had been changing to be more like Christ and he pointed it out and celebrated it. 

What would Paul point out in your life?  What are you doing well?  What would he encourage you with?  Take a few minutes and celebrate how God has changed you.

Where do I struggle and need change?

So… I will be candid… going back to the question above, I struggle to see and celebrate the things I am doing well—that is, what God is doing through me.  I tend to always be obsessed with how I am falling short and wanting God to change me in these areas as soon as possible!  (If you are a perfectionist, you might feel the same way.)  With the Colossians, Paul has heard that they are being tempted by the culture around them to add to the gospel and to doubt whether the good news they had heard in the beginning was enough.  They were struggling with persevering in the faith, and Paul says in Colossians 1:9, “We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”  Paul is praying and pleading with the Colossians that they may know that Christ is enough. 

Where is your struggle?  What would Paul point out?  Is it an obvious sin like the Corinthians or are you being led astray slowly by the world?  Let God shine light on your struggles and where you need change.

How do I need to be challenged moving forward?

After mentioning how he is praying for the Colossians in 1:9, Paul says in 1:10-12 that he is praying over their struggles for them “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”  I am not going to unpack everything that Paul is saying here, but the essence of what he saying is a challenge to them to accept Christ and the truth of the gospel for what it is and let that permeate their entire lives. 

What would Paul challenge you with?  A deeper walk with God?  To know and enjoy Him more?  To make Him known?  Pray and listen to God quietly and patiently.

What would Paul’s letter to you look like?  Are you going to listen to it and change or keep living the way you are?  Do you want to keep the status quo or Unstatus Your Quo® for God’s glory?

Noah

The Unstatus Your Quo® Growth Plan helps Christians clarify their purpose and take small steps to fulfill that purpose! Part of the process is understanding where you are today and where God desires for you to be tomorrow.  Start Session #1 for FREE by clicking HERE.