Only in seeing ourselves as both completely full in Him and, totally desperate for more of Him, can we find the beginning of the infiniteness of our relationship with the Person of Jesus Christ.
~Makala Barnabas Doulos
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
~ from Colossians 1
Oh beloved, we are saved. And we know this is a really big deal. And still we have no idea. It has not even entered our minds how big a deal this really is. And yet, somehow, we know. This is one of the profound mysteries of the gospel – to find the boundaries that do not exist. To find the very center of His infinitely Loving heart!
We were slaves to sin. And now we are free in Him. But we were not set free to be free only from sin, but for the glorious freedom of freedom itself.
We were wretched and alone. And now we are beautiful and betrothed to Him. But we were not just cleaned up, we have been made spotless and terribly beautiful.
We were broken and lame. And by His stripes we are healed. But we were not just cured of a disease, we were made completely whole and strong and powerful in Him.
We were dead in our trespasses. And have been made alive in Him. But we were not just resuscitated, we have become a completely new creation.
We were powerless apart from Him. And now we have been indwelt by Him. But we were not just given a Friend with whom to have communion. We been imbued with the very same Power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead.
We were very alive to the sin that was at work within us. And now we are dead to the same. But we are not just dead to the behavior, this death is to the root of our capacity and willingness to transgress.
We were paupers. And He has made us rich. But we were not just given enough to get by. We have been guaranteed the unfathomable riches of His grace in the coming ages.
We were empty and unsatisfied. And have now been filled by Him. But we were not just satiated, we were filled with the very fullness of G_d – and now flow with manifold rivers of His Living water.
We were orphans. And we have been adopted by Him. But we were not just adopted so as to keep us from being illegitimate. We have become inheritors of – and partakers in – the very Kingdom of Heaven.
We were hurting. And we are now at peace in Him. But we were not just given something to mask the pain. We have found the He Himself is the peace which pervades our being.
And on it goes. And goes.
Can we see it? Actually, if we cannot – this is the problem we must overcome. For us to see ourselves as anything less than stunningly-beautiful royalty and fully-accepted members of the family of G_d is an error of grave proportion!
No, instead of wavering friends, might we instead stand firm on the very firm foundation of what He has already done for us? The list above is the elementary stuff of the Gospel! It is the fare of introductions to the letters to the churches of the first century. These were the things that were to used as the elementary BASIS for a powerful and effective outworking of His Spirit in our Christian lives.
Oh beloved, our Beloved was right: apart from Him we can do nothing. And this part of the Gospel, we seem to understand just fine. But do we not often forget the other side of this equation? In Christ, we can do all things!
What if we simply reckoned true the great truth of His reconciliation of us to Himself? How might our lives change? What kind of power and strength and goodness might flow into us and through us onto the world around us?!?!
Reckon it true tonight dear friend. For true it is.
