Gratitude {Colossians 2:6-15}
12:00 AM
Tuesday, February
19, 2019
“Like
Jesus, we belong to the whole world, living not for ourselves but for
others. The joy of the Lord is our
strength.” Mother Teresa
Have
you ever tried to fill a glass with liquid, all the way to the very top? It looks rounded as it mounds up the
rim. It spills if you fill it too quickly,
but if you are patient, you can get it right up to the edge.
That’s what Paul is describing to the Colossians when he says that Christian lives should “overflow with thankfulness” (v. 6). Those are lives so filled to the brim with God’s goodness, and so strengthened in faith, that they could not help but overflow with thanks to the Lord.
If
we are people overflowing with thankfulness, two things will be true in our
lives.
First
of all, we will never stop honoring Jesus as Lord of our lives.
“just as you received
Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him.”
God
fills us up each time we read scripture.
Study it. Ask God to reveal the
meaning of it. It will change you. Sometimes we discover major changes. (Check
these previous posts out. Here's
another one.) Sometimes
it's more subtly.
God
made it clear that obedience from the
heart was much more important than animal sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:22; Psalm
40:6; Amos 5:21-24). God wants us to
offer ourselves, not animals as living
sacrifices – daily laying aside our own desires to follow Him. Putting all our energy and resources at His disposal
and trusting Him to guide us. We do this
out of gratitude that our sins have been forgiven (Romans 12:1)
Being
thankful for God’s provisions (manna) and promises should fill us to the brim
and overflow into other’s lives.
“Continue
to live your lives in Him rooted…” That’s
the key – centering on Christ and grounding ourselves in His word. Learn daily about the Savior. Read the gospels over and over. Take some time to read The
Calvary Road. Develop theological
knowledge. Stay humble and curious about
the complexity of the world God had made.
Press toward godly wishes. Pray
for understanding. God has given us
minds – never stop using them.
Second, far from declining, our love and loyalty will keep growing larger and stronger.
Paul
tells the Colossians “continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up
in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught.” (6-7)
Faith
must be firmly grounded in Christ. Our
belief is not in religion, not in Christian values, not in a Christ that we
have molded into our own desires. We
believe in Jesus of Nazareth, both man and God, who walked this earth, preached
the gospel, healed the sick, died on the cross, rose again, ascended back to
the Father and who will return one day.
Paul
constantly had to contend with people who tried to deceive new Christians with
alternative ideas and philosophies. Just
before these verses in Colossians Paul wrote: “I tell you this so no one takes
you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human
tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on
Christ.” (2:8)
As
I began researching for this post, I was lead to read this small book by Mother
Teresa, In
the Heart of the World. This book is
just chocked full of stories of what our Christian walk should look like. I would like to share this one short story.
To Die Like an Angel
One evening we went out
and rescued four people off the streets.
One of them was in a desperate condition. I told the sisters, “You take care of the
others. I will care for this one who is
worse off.” I did everything for her
that my love could do. I put her into
bed, and I saw a beautiful smile light up her face. She squeezed my hand and managed only to say
two words: “Thank you.” And then she
closed her eyes.
I couldn’t help but ask
myself there beside her body, “What would I have said if I had been in her
place?” My answer was very simple. I would have said that I was hungry, that I
was dying, that I was cold. Or I would
have said that this or that part of my body hurt or something like that. But she gave me much more. She gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face.
Just like a man we rescued
from among the debris in the gutter, who was half-eaten by worms, this woman
responded in grateful love. That man
told us, “I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like
an angel surrounded by love and care.”
It was marvelous to witness the greatness of a man who could talk like
that, who could die that way without cursing anyone, without lashing out at any
one, without drawing any comparisons. He
died like an angel.
Faith
must be fed. Faith won’t grow without an
investment of time and effort. Faith is
not an ornament to be put on a shelf and admired. Faith is our dynamic relationship with Jesus,
which needs nurture and care. It needs
learning and correction. A growing faith
is essential for a strong life in Christ.
At
my mom’s funeral, as I addressed the congregation, I shared how thankful I was
that my faith began at that church. I
hadn’t darkened the doorways of that church in over 30 years, but that’s where
my faith journey began, and being there that day as I shared so many memories
of my mom, I told those people how thankful I was that she encouraged me to go to
Sunday School and church when I just did not want to go. My mom knew that one day we will all meet
Jesus and she knew she needed me to invest my time in getting to know who He
is.
I
have mentioned that I end my day in thanksgiving. I go to bed not with requests, but just
thanks…
It’s
thankfulness for sins forgiven.
It’s
thankfulness for daily bread.
It’s
thankfulness for the strength and comfort of the Holy Spirit.
It’s
a thankfulness for those we can serve.
It’s
thankfulness that every day is another gift of God to enjoy.
It’s
thankfulness that Jesus is with me always.
It’s
thankfulness that just ahead lies glory and joy with Christ!
Lisa
Thayer
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