Jesus is Not a Genie; He is Lord

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:6-7

I have been studying and soaking in the book of Colossians lately and wanted to share a few thoughts. Paul writes this letter to the Colossian church from prison in Rome. Although he is in chains and imprisoned for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he writes to encourage these believers. There is a major theme throughout this letter, and that theme is that if we are Christians, saved by grace through faith, then our lives should give evidence of our faith no matter our circumstances. Here are some key points to ponder.

Faith in Jesus is more than acknowledgement of Jesus; it is a life that longs to follow Him in joyful obedience. Paul says if we have received Christ Jesus the Lord, we are to walk in Him. The Greek word walk here refers to how we conduct our lives, as we roam about. Do our daily lives look different from the time we didn’t know Jesus?

We should grow our hope and significance in what Jesus has done and not be molested by worldly standards. Paul says we are to be rooted and built up in our faith in Jesus. It is easy to be consumed by the cares and implications that the world puts upon us, but we are to be “established in the faith”, meaning we can find our strength in Christ’s promise when hope seems to be fleeting.

We should remind ourselves of the truth when our faith is tested. Paul reminds us that we were taught the truth, but I believe we have a tendency to forget the truth or doubt the truth when trouble comes. The truth is we are sinners deserving punishment for our rebellion; however, we are so deeply loved by the Lord that He has covered and atoned for our sin so that we can have intimacy with Him. This means that He is our hope, our joy, and our strength.  Therefore, we can live this temporary life with all of its hills and valleys and know that we have eternal glory awaiting us.

We have more to be thankful for than to worry about. I love that Paul says we should abound in thanksgiving. Remember that Paul is in prison, yet he is thankful. To abound means that we should overflow in thanksgiving. When was the last time you took inventory of things to be thankful for? Do you consider your ability to get up every morning, to smell the coffee, hug your family, be a part of a church that loves Jesus, and to share the greatest news that changes eternity in spite of the temporary difficulties that come in this broken world?

I fear that we often underestimate the gift of our salvation and our responsibility to live as followers of Jesus. Jesus is not a genie; He is Lord, and it is so good for us to live our lives under His lordship.