Friday, April 29, 2016

Colossians 4:2 - Game-Changer gone AWOL

"To the prayer you all be continually devoted, watching in it in thanksgiving." 

-'Devoted' is a picture of an attendant who will not leave the side of the one to whom they are attending.  Or a faithful nurse - they are paying attention to the one(s) in their care, constantly close at hand.  It is relatively easy to identify that to which a person is devoted by what they do keep close at hand, is it not?  Their spouse perhaps? Their kids? Or a friend?  Their job. their smartphone. an app. The remote? Social media? A cup or bottle or pack or can of something that you just cannot do without? A Bible? Or another book? A cherished possession? Our work or career? What is it that gets your attention?  So many things we can keep close at hand - is prayer one of them?

-Watching is a picture of a guard standing watch over a parapet, similarly vigilant and attentive lest he miss something.  The challenge for us is not just keeping prayer close at hand, it is paying attention while we do pray, because we all have chronic ADD when it comes to prayer.  It not only fails to get our attention in the first place, it fails to keep our attention when it manages to get our attention.  Trying to talk to the invisible God Who is unheard as well as unseen is a sure recipe for distraction, for mind-creep.  Thoughts of other things creep in and cascade over my brain, washing away my focus.  Cares and concerns for the day.  Plans.  Memories.  Things I’ve done.  Things I need to do.  Random thoughts out of left field - you name it.  Then there’s the enemy of our souls who would distract us all he can from engaging in the one thing against which he cannot prevail.  Mary had the right idea, just sitting there, paying attention to Jesus, but it can be so much harder, can it not, to do that when He’s not physically there right in front of us.  Martha couldn’t even pull it off with the Lord right there in her living room (yes, I know she was in the kitchen but surely theirs was an open-concept floor plan - she could see him, but her to-do list still got the best of her).  Jesus does offer some insight for us in this regard.  He talks about a prayer closet, an inner room (Matthew 6.6) - you and I need to find aloneness somewhere, somehow.  Jesus Himself frequently prayed in isolation (Matthew 14.23, Luke 5.16, 9.18, 22.41).  Part of our due diligence and vigilance in prayer is to be doing what we must do to minimize and eliminate distractions.  Visual distractions are the worst (one reason to close your eyes?).  Interruptions.  You need to find a place as well as a time that will be conducive to aloneness, to having extended conversations with your Best Friend in Heaven.  Jesus often prayed early in the morning or at night - not only did those times minimize external distractions, they kept down the internal noise as well.  Our days tend to crash upon the shore of our lives like a hurricane, with sudden and irresistable force, demanding our attention.  Gotta get to work, gotta get to school, to class, get the kids going, get the spouse going, gotta get going on the house, the chores, the yard, the sports.  Hopefully the storm passes and the fury of our days recedes to a place of calm sometime in the evening.  But these are the times when we can and should try to pull away for extended time with our Best Friend.  Before the day begins, or (and?) after it is over.  We prioritize and make time for so many other things, surely we can and must do this.  Too often we sleep as late as we can, jump out of bed and hurl ourselves headlong into our days, then 12-14 hours later we collapse on the couch too exhausted to think about having a meaningful conversation with anyone much less with our Best Friend (Who again is unseen and therefore requires additional focus and concetration)(but Who also happens to be the King of the universe and Who incindentally has been waiting all day to talk with us).  We watch a bit of mindless frippery on tv and head to bed, ending our day unengaged and unchanged.  These are the days of our lives, and they do indeed pass like sands through an hourglass.  The tyranny of the urgent kidnaps our days and our lives and the important goes AWOL, or rather absent WITH leave as we leave it consigned to the back burner, something we know we should do but never really getting around to it or giving it our full attention.

-And here is where we fail ultimately.  We fail to prioritize prayer.  We relegate it to second class status in our lives, like an extra credit assignment, something nice and good if we can get around to it but a little bit cramped and inconvenient perhaps and not too exciting and certainly not indispensible.  A little dab’ll do ya.  We add a little dash of prayer for favor, a smidgen of thanksgiving here and there while our lives and the world keep spinning on, unchanged and unaffected by the supernatural forces of Heaven waiting to be unleashed in and through God’s people.  Our Savior remains a valued acquaintance perhaps, handy in a pinch, and we’ll get to know Him better someday.  Be devoting yourselves to prayer, Paul says.  Be saturated with prayer.  Spend extended time talking with and getting to know He-Who-would-be-your-Best-Friend (He already knows your every quirk and every hairy intimate detail of your life and still really really likes you!  He is the One Who designed you in the first place!).  Come away and draw near and bask in His presence where there is fulness of joy.  Drink deep from the Fountain of His delights, of His Living Water and find grace and faith and strength to overcome and move mountains.  Change the world and be forever changed.  Change the course of history - because the effective prayer of one who is right with God does indeed accomplish much, much more than we can even imagine!  This is why we should be devoted to prayer.


-And we must not lose sight of that last word Paul includes in this imperative: thanksgiving.  A game-changer, this.  One word which captures so well the essence of what should be our posture towards our Master, towards our God Who made us and saved us.  Thank you.  (I know that’s two words but in the Greek and in most other languages it’s one word).  Thank you, Lord.  This morsel-sized phrase is so core to joy and to triumphant living in a broken world.  Paying attention to giving thanks in all things not only gives appropriate credit where credit is so appropriately due, but it cultivates an immediate awareness of God’s faithful work and goodness in our lives.  It acknowledges Him, and keeps us in tune with the truth that all things are from Him and through Him and for Him.  Thanksgiving changes our praying from a tendency to focus on what I want and don’t have to one of contentment.  Not resignation, but a satisfaction that springs out of an awareness that God does and will fully supply everything I need and if I don’t have something then either God WILL provide it or else I don’t need it but in any event I have enough. All that I need.  And so by all means I need to be asking since I do not have because I do not ask, but gratitude affirms God’s gracious and full provision.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Colossians 4:1 - The Great Equalizer

"The masters, the justice and the equality to the slaves be providing, having come to know that also you [all] are having a Master in heaven." 

-Paul now addresses those who were in the position of actually owning another human being, of being in a postition of power over them.  When we have power over someone else, our temptation is to look down on them, imagining that I am somehow better than them by virtue of my position, due somehow to my birth or intelligence or experience or hard work and whatever paper I may have displayed on my wall.  And I may want to take advantage of the situation, to take advantage of that other individual for personal gain.  But no, Paul says.  We must always view and treat all people as equals, no matter what temporal position I occupy (have been granted) in relation to them, and I must treat them right.  

-Justice means that when people have been given power over another person, they do what is right by them.  They don’t abuse them or that power.  They don’t exploit them.  They don’t skimp on providing what is reasonable and necessary in order for them to function or in terms of repayment.  They don’t hold them accountable or force them to work in ways that are inconsistent or unduly harsh.  Justice can be hard to find in a fallen world, especially on the fringes of society, among those who are living on the margins, those who are vulnerable, those who are dispossessed of family or home or of a sound mind.  Indeed, God’s heart is with those who are vulnerable (cf Psalms 68.5, 146.9), He cares deeply about the plight of those who are at risk of being exploited or forgotten by those with power, power over them, power to provide justice (both the ability and the means to secure it).  And He is swift to condemn those who fail to provide justice (Isaiah 1.23).  In the ancient world, we see special consideration extended particularly to orphans and widows, to strangers and aliens, and to the poor (cf Deuteronomy 24.17, 27.19, Jeremiah 7.5-7, Malachi 3.5).  Those who are poor, who lack material and personal resources, who are without a voice or influence or connections, almost always find themselves at the mercy of others.  Our world is filled with voiceless ones, powerless and defenseless, real or potential victims of injustice.  Modern-days slaves trafficked into sweat shops and labor camps and brothels.  Unborn babies.  Refugees.  Women trapped in dangerous relationships.  Children growing up in dangerous homes.  And most definitely the poor.  And today’s power-brokers are more than just the politicians and abortionists and slum lords and bosses.  Power resides in many places.  It is afforded to those who are bigger and stronger, to the wealthy and yes to the middle class (wealthy compared to most), to parents and pastors and teachers and coaches and neighbors, to anyone who encounters a neighbor in need, and sadly to anyone who encounters one who is weaker than them.  Christ-followers are to extend special consideration and justice to all, especially to those in need.  Certainly to our kids and to our spouses, and to those in proximity to us.  We must do right by others and treat them right.  Which is exactly how we would want others to treat us, isn’t it?  Who among us wants to be exploited or taken advantage of or abused in any way?  Exactly.  But wait - there’s more.  We are actually told to go further, to go out of our way to defend and vindicate and plead for the cause of those who are vulnerable (Psalms 82.3, Proverbs 31.9, Isaiah 1.17, Jeremiah 5.28).  We are probably way too unengaged in this regard.

-And equality means that I am no better than anyone else, no matter what power I have been given over others, no matter what station I occupy in life, regardless of my size or wealth or intelligence or country of origin.  I am no better than anyone else.  All men are created equal, are they not?  This is not some utopian pipedream scrawled in fancy script on some old document.  It is timeless truth that derives from the fact that there is One Who has made every one of us, Who is infinitely greater than all.  The sad reality is that fallen man, separated and hiding from the One Who made him and knows him and loves him warts and all, full of insecurity, always struggling to feel better about himself - tries to feel better about himself at the expense of his fellow man.  I am better than the person next to me, I tell myself.  I am better than they are.  I am better looking, bigger, stronger, faster, smarter, more educated, more important, better at doing things than them.  I am better.  This is easy to believe when I have been given a position of power of somebody.  The truth is, we are all the same.  God sees us all the same.  We really are all equals.


-The great equalizer, the truth that levels the playing field, is that all people great and small, strong and weak, have the same Supreme Master in heaven.  He is Omnipotent Almighty God, the One with all the power in heaven and earth, and He shares it with whoever He wishes.  There is no power I might have over another person which has not been given to me from above (cf John 19:11, Daniel 2.37, 4.17, 4.25, 5.21).  All authority structures are instituted by God (Romans 13.1), and those who are so entrusted with God’s power will be held accountable for how they wield it, just as others will be called to account for how they submitted to it.  Understanding that I have a Master in heaven not only helps me know what it is like to be held accountable but also how those under authority would like to be treated.  Woe to the realm where the ruler answers to no one.  But woe as well to me if I don’t wield any power I have been given rightly, treating other right and treating them as equals.  With respect.  With consideration.  With humility.  With kindness and as a servant.  This was the example set for us by our Master, and He expects us to do likewise (John 13.14-15).

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Colossians 3:25 - Grave consequences beyond the grave

"...-for the [one] doing wrong will receive back what they did wrong, and it is not receiving according to face."  

-Consequences.  Negative ones.  We do our best to avoid them (most of the time anyway).  We don’t like to think about them - and sometimes that’s how we try to avoid them.  Other times we forget about them, and just need a reminder.  The best reminder of negative consequences is the remembrance of having experienced them.  Unfortunately, there is no one who has ever yet experienced these particular consequences.  All we have is a promise, a promise from God, one that we can therefore take to the bank.  This promise is repeated over and over throughout Scripture, that one day beyond the grave there will indeed be grave consequences for all wrongdoing.  Oh, we love to hear about the inheritance mentioned in the previous verse, and yes, there are positive consequences for good deeds, but all bad deeds will one day be punished.  Severely.  Paul here is reminding us of that certainty.  cf 2Corinthians 5.10.

-We must also keep in mind, while we are talking about good and bad deeds being rewarded and punished, that it is definitely true that those in Christ are not ultimately punished for their deeds.  His great Good Deed is applied to our account, and inasmuch as our spiritual ledger was completely devoid of any good deeds whatsoever and full of only filthy bad deeds (Isaiah 64.6), He took the punishment for those, every last one.

-There are two ways to interpret this verse, both of which are true.  One possibility is that Paul is referring to potential disrespect and disobedience by slaves towards their earthly masters, which would then be deserving of this certain punishment.  The other possibility is that Paul is encouraging slaves who are submitting for the Lord’s sake to unreasonable or harsh masters, that those masters will be judged fairly and impartially.  The slave can know that God will make it right someday and does not have to try and get even with (or even get away from) their master in this life or try to pay them back in some way.  God will take of that.  No one will be shown any special favor or treated ‘according to face’ (how they appear, how people see them) because of their high or low estate in this life - masters and slaves will all be judged equally.

-So here’s the question - if I am in Christ, and He has paid the penalty for my wrongdoing, in what way(s) might I still somehow someday experience some negative consequence for that?  While commentators acknowledge the punishment mentioned here, they seem loathe to elaborate on it.  This is describing Christ-like conduct within a household (one which may or may not be fully devoted to Christ depending on the master presumably) - so we can assume that Paul is addressing slaves who are in Christ and who somehow might be tempted to disrespect or disobey or otherwise underserve their master.  According to Paul here, any such conduct or thinking would be wrong and subject to punishment.  And there is indeed a trap that believers can fall into, thinking that since I have been completely forgiven that I now no longer will have to experience any negative consequences, no matter what I do in the flesh in this life.  We mistakenly believe that we can sin with complete impunity.  

-Paul writing to believers elsewhere states that each one of us will give an account of ourselves to God (Romans 14.12, 2Corinthians 5.10) - we will be revealed in eternity before what is called the ‘Bema’ seat of Christ where our salvation will not be in question but the quality of our deeds will be tested by fire (1Corinthians 3.12-15).  We do find here that good deeds which have been wrought in Christ (and by Him - cf Hebrews 13.20-21, Philippians 2.13) will survive this fire and be rewarded by God Himself (1Corinthians 4.5, Ephesians 6.8, cf Matthew 25.20-21).  There is as well in this life a kind of discipline from the Lord for believers who are continuing in a pattern of disobedience (cf 1Corinthians 11.30-32).  It is interesting to note that God is indeed going to hold us accountable for doing something which only He ultimately can do.  Suffice it to say, God cares very deeply about the behavior of His people - not only does He long for those He has made and remade to simply love Him with their entirety of their being, but our lives are a direct reflection on Him, each one a sermon, one that is preached every day to an audience that is dying for a reason to follow Jesus.  He is highly invested in each one of us, in making us more and more like His Son, and to that end He does require our cooperation.  He does not force our obedience like some programmed automaton, but He longs for it and expects it.  No matter our situation or station in life, wisdom tells us to conduct ourselves with diligence and reverence and holiness as we make every effort to get in step with what He wants (1Peter 14-19, Colossians 4.5, Philippians 1.27, 2Corinthians 1.12).  And we can proceed knowing full well that Almighty God stands ready every moment of every day to help make it happen.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Colossians 3:23-24 - The anatomy of rebellion

"Whatever you may be doing, out of soul you be working as to the Lord and not to men, having come to know that from [the] Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. You be serving [as slaves] to the Lord Christ."

-Here we behold the magnificent ultimate motivation and inspiration for all our endeavors.  Whatever we do - as we study for an exam or do our homework or clean our room or do the dishes or fold the laundry or mop the floor or punch a keypad or sit in a meeting or make a transaction or as we practice or perform or work in any capacity, and as we interact with others in the process, there is One Who sees and is watching and Who knows our heart.  He is the Beginning and the End, He is the Author and the Final Evaluator of all our endeavors.  All things whatever we do - they are all from Him and are ultimately for Him.  Whatever we do, we do for Him.  And we do all these things through Him - through the gifts and skills and experience and wisdom and power that He provides.  With these combined divine resources and inspiration, we can and should realize even greater results than one might otherwise expect.  which is part of the point (cf John 14.12).

-This plays out for slaves, for anyone including us who is asked to do anything by someone in authority.  Again, we are not considering anything that God would never ask us to do.  But our response should be in whatever manner we would respond to God if He Himself were doing the asking.  Yes sir.  There are no ifs, ands, or buts.  No whatifs.  Yes Lord.  And not like moses - ‘Who am I?’ (Exodus 3.11), ‘What will I say?’ (Exodus 3.13), ‘What if...?’ (Exodus 4.1), ‘I have never...’ (Exodus 4.10), ‘Please Lord not me’ (Exodus 4.13).  And of course the human agents of God’s authority on earth don’t really inspire the same awe or respect, whether absent or in person, but therein lies the problem.  Because we don’t even see a gilded throne surrounded by angels or a burning bush or the mountain and the lightning and the cloud, because we fail to see the connection between our Supreme Authority and this flawed, finite person (or agency), because we ourselves are flawed and prone to want to be the final arbiter of all things that concern us, and because we are "Americans" who are convinced that anything is doable and who want what we want when we want it and don’t want what we don’t want - we resist.  We question.  We bow up.  We grumble and complain (of course Israel did this too - it is a universal condition).  We begrudgingly comply and then goof off when they’re not around.  We push the limits.  We challenge.  We disrespect.  We disrespect our spouses.  Our teachers.  Our bosses.  Our pastors.  Our elders.  Our leaders.  We disrespect and dishonor the king and in doing so we disrespect and dishonor the Lord.  Which one of us if God were the One making the decision or request would dare to question or hesitate?  Who among us if the Lord were physically present among us would dilly dally or or deviate in any way?  Why should it be any different with someone whom He has put in place as His appointed agent in our lives?  Why should it be any different?  It should not.  We SO need the Lord to help us carefully watch our responses and our attitudes when we are relating to those in authority and as we submit and obey to them.  

-You and I don’t like hearing this stuff because we are the stuff of rebels.  We don’t even want to admit it, but it is true.  And we need to confess it.  Because this is the heart of the problem.  We have a heart condition, preconditioned and predisposed towards rebellion.  Even obedience can be carried out with an insincere heart, a rebellious attitude, a casual disregard, a half-hearted effort.  We may think our heart towards God is just fine while all the while we are disrespecting one of His agents.  We may not even make the connection.

-Those who God has put in authority do not need to earn our respect.  Nor do they need to be perfect.  They are not all bad when they make a mistake or a decision with which we disagree.  We need to get past them and look past and above them at the One Who is looking at us and is watching to see our hearts.  What He cares about is our heart towards Him.  And we desperately need to learn to make respect and submission to authority on earth a matter of sincere and reverent, whole-hearted, full-out obedience to Him.  Because in the end, we are slaves of Jesus.  We ought to live like it... 


-And in the end, a promise.  There is a reward waiting for us, an inheritance.  One we will receive from the hand of God, from the Lord Himself.  Paul doesn’t give us details here, but we know from elsewhere that this reward, this inheritance is one we actually share with Jesus (Romans 8.15-17).  It is eternal glory.  Pure unending unadulterated breathtaking goodness which can never fade, tarnish, or be damaged in any way (1Peter 1.4).  Yes, it will take our breath away more than any glimpse of glory we ever got in this life.  Moses got a brief glimpse of the backside of this glory and he was done.  He stayed there in that place, 40 days without food or water, basking in the Presence.  He got such a glow on his face that he freaked people out and had to cover his face.  Imagine what a long-term full frontal glimpse of glory will be like.  Try to imagine it if you can.  This is what awaits those who serve the Lord.  This is why we do our best in every situation, whatever is asked of us.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Colossians 3:22 - A sticky proposition?

"The slaves, be obeying according to all things to the lords according to flesh, not in eye-service as people-pleasers, but rather in sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord."

-Two over-arching principles here: obey (serve) your master in all things, and do it from the heart.

-Now when Paul says all things, does this allow for exceptions when the master asks the slave to do something wrong or unethical?  Of course.  Obviously the higher obligation is to obey our Master in Heaven in all things, and by extension the slave obeys the earthly lord in everything which is not contrary to what God wants.

-The bigger question is, how does this apply to life in the 21st century?  The context here is household living in the 1st century, where domestic slavery was a cultural institution.  It was not unusual for a home to have a(t least one) slave, and these typically were regarded as so much property, having no freedom or rights or time of their own.  They may have been born into that status, or were perhaps sold as such.  But your mileage on how they were treated no doubt varied tremendously according to the character of the master (or lord - same word in the Greek).  And yet Paul doesn’t seem at all concerned with taking time to consider the character or motives of the master in this verse.  He is concerned with the motives and the conduct of the slave, this one under authority due to their being owned by another for whatever reason.

-But how do we apply this today?  Paul provides principles here for how any of us should relate within whatever authority relationship we may find ourselves - at our place of work or worship, in our home, our school, our community, and in our nation.  Simply put, we can and must freely and sincerely and respectfully obey our earthly authorities because they have been put there by God.  Whatever authority they have by virtue of their position in relation to us was given to them by our Supreme Authority Himself (John 19.11, Romans 13.1-3).  So we should respect and obey them and even pray for them, both for their sakes as well as ours - the better it goes for them, the better it goes for us (cf 1Timothy 2.1-2).  But more than that, our sincere submission and deference to those God has placed over us here on earth is actually obedience and worship of our Father in heaven.  Remember, all authority comes from God.  He is the One Who puts it in place - He is also the One Who takes it away (cf John 19.11, 1Corinthians 15.24, Daniel 4.30-31).  But when we disobey and disrespect authorities here on earth, we are in fact rebelling against God Himself (cf Numbers 12.8, 14.2-4, 14.9, 14.26-27).  Again, our posture towards human authority, our respect for both the person and the position (or lack thereof), the degree to which we may question and challenge and disregard these, is a reflection of our heart towards the One Who is our Ultimate Authority.  Our respect and submission does not have to be earned - it is compelled by a higher obligation, put there by Almighty God (Titus 3.1-2, 1Peter 2.13-17).  


-Yes, freedom can be a sticky proposition - it can give one the illusion of autonomy, and yet no matter our state we are all under some kind of authority (cf Matthew 8.8-9).  Consider that the freedom we enjoy in the United States was gained through a rebellion against a(n unreasonable) king which we declared was justified by a ‘long line of abuses and usurpations’.  Think about it - in the name of God, we felt (usurped?) the freedom to throw off a king who had been given his authority by God (should it have mattered how he wielded it?).  In his place we installed a ‘president’ who we freely criticize and disrespect and dismiss every 4-8 years.  This is part of the legacy which has been handed down to us. Obviously there have been many upsides of this American experiment, but US citizens for centuries have been so predisposed towards disrespect and disregard of authority that we struggle to even think objectively about how we relate to authority.  Submission and respect can be quite optional for many of us.  Do we even know how to honor the king?  Or our boss?  Or our pastor?  Look around, so many of us are prone to throw these off at the first opportunity.  How about our parents, or our spouse?  No, freedom is not a green light to disobey God by dishonoring anyone He has placed in authority in our lives, even if that authority is unreasonable.  And again we are not talking about justifying abuse, or insisting that someone stay in a state that is legitimately unsafe.  But again, paul reminds us that submission is inextricably tied to the fear of the Lord.  Certainly those in authority should be circumspect in how they wield it, as God will hold them accountable.  But we are all accountable. We must proceed and relate to all in authority with circumspect reverence - proper respect for them and healthy fear of God, Who we can trust.  “In God We Trust”, right?  He’s got this.  He put that person in charge.  He can and will take them out if He needs to when the time is right.  Or He can change their heart - maybe He wants to use us in the process?  And He’s got our backs.

Friday, April 8, 2016

Colossians 3:21 - Optional obedience? The legacy of disrespect...

"The slaves, be obeying according to all things to the lords according to flesh, not in eye-service as people-pleasers, but rather in sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord." 

-Two over-arching principles here: obey (serve) your master in all things, and do it from the heart.

-Now when Paul says 'all things', does this allow for exceptions when the master asks the slave to do something wrong or unethical?  Of course.  Obviously the higher obligation is to obey our Master in Heaven in all things, and by extension the slave obeys the earthly lord in everything which is not contrary to what God wants.

-The bigger question is, how does this apply to life in the 21st century?  The context here is household living in the 1st century, where domestic slavery was a cultural institution.  It was not unusual for a home to have a(t least one) slave, and these typically were regarded as so much property, having no freedom or rights or time of their own.  They may have been born into that status, or were perhaps sold as such.  But your mileage on how they were treated no doubt varied tremendously according to the character of the master (or lord - same word in the Greek).  And yet, Paul doesn’t seem at all concerned with taking time to consider the character or motives of the master in this verse.  He is concerned with the motives and the conduct of the slave, this one under authority due to their being owned by another for whatever reason.

-But how do we apply this today?  Paul provides principles here for how any of us should relate within whatever authority relationship we may find ourselves - at our place of work or worship, in our home, our school, our community, and in our nation.  Simply put, we can and must freely and sincerely and respectfully obey our earthly authorities because they have been put there by God.  Whatever authority they have by virtue of their position in relation to us was given to them by our Supreme Authority Himself (John 19.11, Romans 13.1-3).  So we should respect and obey them and even pray for them, both for their sakes as well as ours - the better it goes for them, the better it goes for us (cf 1Timothy 2.1-2).  But more than that, our sincere submission and deference to those God has placed over us here on earth is actually obedience and worship of our Father in heaven.  Remember, all authority comes from God.  He is the One Who puts it in place - He is also the One Who takes it away (cf 1Corinthians 15.24, Daniel 4.30-31).  But when we disobey and disrespect authorities here on earth, we are in fact rebelling against God Himself (cf Numbers 12.8, 14.2-4, 14.9, 14.26-27).  Again, our posture towards human authority, our respect for both the person and the position (or lack thereof), the degree to which we may question and challenge and disregard these, is a reflection of our heart towards the One Who is our Ultimate Authority.  Our respect and submission does not have to be earned - it is compelled by a higher obligation, put there by Almighty God (Titus 3.1-2, 1Peter 2.13-17).  


-And so we find that freedom can be a sticky proposition - it can give one the illusion of autonomy, and yet no matter our state we are all under some kind of authority (cf Matthew 8.8-9).  Consider that the freedom we enjoy in the United States was gained through a rebellion against a(n unreasonable) king, a revolt which we declared was justified by a ‘long line of abuses and usurpations’.  Think about it - in the name of God, we felt (usurped?) the freedom to throw off a king who had been given his authority by God.  Should it have mattered how he wielded it?  In his place we installed a ‘president’ who we freely criticize and disrespect and dismiss every 4-8 years.  This is part of the legacy which has been handed down to us.  Obviously there have been many upsides of this "American Experiment", but US citizens for centuries have been so predisposed towards disrespect and disregard of authority that we struggle to even think objectively about how we relate TO authority.  Submission and respect can be quite optional for many of us.  Do we even know how to honor the king?  Or our boss?  Or our pastor?  Look around, so many of us are prone to throw these off at the first opportunity.  How about our parents, or our spouse?  No, freedom is not a green light to disobey God by dishonoring anyone He has placed in authority in our lives, even if that authority is unreasonable.  And again we are not talking about justifying abuse, or insisting that someone stay in a state that is legitimately unsafe.  But again, Paul reminds us that submission is inextricably tied to the fear of the Lord.  Certainly those in authority should be circumspect in how they wield it, as God will hold them accountable.  But we are all accountable.  We must proceed and relate to all in authority with circumspect reverence - proper respect for them and healthy fear of God, Who we can trust.  “In God We Trust”, right?  He’s got this.  He put that person in charge.  He can and will take them out if He needs to when the time is right.  Or He can change their heart - maybe He wants to use us in the process?  And He’s got our backs.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Colossians 3:20 - The Promise of Particular Pleasure

"The children, be obeying to the parents according to all things, for this is well-pleasing in [the] Lord." 

-So here in this list of familial commands we consider the first of the Ten Commandments with a promise (as Paul tells us in a parallel passage - Eph 6.2-3).  It was the first directive the Lord gave concerning the horizontal relationships between people (the first five concerned the vertical, how we are to relate to God Himself).  To obey here literally means, ‘to listen under’.  It describes hearing something and then doing it.  What you hear is what you do.  And in this context, the scope is everything.  There is not one instance where children have an excuse to not listen to their parents and then do what they say.  So, why the need to stress this?  And why is this something that gives the Lord particular pleasure?

-This section is all about how we relate within relationships of authority.  Be sure of this, our posture towards human authority (all of which has been established by God, cf Jn 19.11, Rom 13.1-2), our respect for both the person and the position (or lack thereof), the degree to which we may question and challenge and disregard these, is a reflection of our heart towards the One Who is our Ultimate Authority.  Our respect and submission to authority does not have to be earned - it is compelled by a higher obligation, put there by Almighty God (Tit 3.1-2, 1Pet 2.13-17).  But any disrespect and disregard we display towards whatever authority God has ordained for our lives will be disseminated to those around us - particularly to our kids.  That is why Paul includes instructions for children here.  The point is not just, children you need to obey your parents.  It is also, parents, you must help your children learn to obey you.  Rebellion is contagious.  We ourselves are the progeny of rebels.  Many US Americans cannot even think objectively about how we relate to authority, as predisposed towards disrespect and disregard as we have been for centuries.  We threw off the king and put in a president who we freely criticize and disrespect and dismiss every 4-8 years.  Submission and respect becomes a short-term nuisance at best.  Do we even know how to honor the king?  Or our boss?  Or our pastor?  We are prone to throw these off at the first opportunity.  How about our parents?  Or our spouse?  Freedom is not a green light to disobey God by dishonoring those He has placed in authority in our lives (cf Ex 16.7-8, Num 14.1-4, 14.9, 14.26-27), even if that authority is unreasonable (1Pet 2.18-19).  I’m not necessarily advocating about staying in an abusive situation, altho obedience even unto death is certainly what Christ modeled for us and how the early church lived (and died - as martyrs).  But respect is not given to human authority because they deserve it.  We give it because God wants us to - it not only shows our own heart of submission to Him but also gives the world a glimpse of how God’s people can and should relate to Him.  THIS finds favor with God and makes Him happy.

-The word for ‘parents’ is goneus, which derives from the verb ginomai, meaning to come/bring into being, to become.  In other words, we are talking about the people who brought us into the world.  Here again we are talking about an opportunity to reflect a divine relationship, one which exists between the Heavenly Father Who uniquely designed us and ultimately brought us into this world and those He has made, His children.  Just as it brings great pleasure to the heart of any parent when children listen and do the things that are asked of them, it gives God pleasure when His children listen to Him and do what He wants.  And so children must learn to obey their parents in everything not only because it is right but because it does indeed give God great pleasure.