… and of the love you have for all God’s people—
Summary: Love changes us. The love God has for us opens our eyes to how God wants us to love others.
People who know Jesus act differently than those who don’t.
Ponder that thought for a moment. Like the illustration of the glass bridge we used in the last meditation, people who know the bridge builder “see” the bridge differently than those who don’t.
The same is true for other areas of life.
Christians “see” Jesus through the eyes of faith. We know Jesus is more than a story because we have encountered the living person of our Lord in some way.
Oftentimes, our encounters with Jesus are accompanied by an overwhelming awareness of his love. The love Jesus has for us is profound because, at the same time we find ourselves embraced by love, we often recognize how unlovable we are. Like a bright spotlight in a dark place, the love of Jesus becomes even brighter against the background of our dark natures.
Having been confronted by the unmerited love of God, people change.
Not only are people suddenly convinced of the reality of things they could not see before, but they act differently as a result of the experience. Who, after being loved, wants to go out and hurt somebody?
Without Jesus, the world we live in is cruel. People hurt other people because seeing others suffer makes us feel somehow better off. Perhaps we get a feeling of power from hurting others. Maybe we enjoy “getting back” at the world that caused us pain in the past. There are a million ways to rationalize causing pain.
Even when we are not causing pain intentionally, we can cause pain unintentionally.
Putting ourselves before everyone else means we shove everyone out of the way to get what we want. When this happens, it is not that we want to hurt others; we simply don’t care what happens to others.
All of this changes when we meet Jesus.
When we are loved, we love others.
The people of the church in Colossae knew Jesus. More than just knowing about Jesus, they knew the man personally. They had felt his love.
We know this is true because of what Paul says about them. They are people who have a love for “all God’s people,” not just themselves.
This is something to keep in mind when we are asking ourselves if we are doing our best for Jesus. Do we love all of God’s people or just some? People who know Jesus act differently than those who don’t. It is something to think about.
Application: Love others as God loves us.
Food for Thought: How do you think the people from Colossae chose how to love?
How do you think the people from Colossae chose how to love?
Paul identifies the source of faith and love as he writes that it has sprung up from the hope we have. Our hope is the basis for the true message of the gospel. The hope we have, that at the end of this life, we will be fully united with Christ, as we enter into His glory. It is hope that we can look forward to, and hold onto in the most difficult times.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.
Colossians 1:5, the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel.
1 Corinthians 13:13, that faith, hope, and love will remain, with love being the greatest. But that love is built on the foundation of hope.
This hope enables me to trust my life to the Lordship of Christ now, as I live knowing that He always wants the best for me. That He knows the best way to accomplish this as He draws me to others who also have this hope. Knowing that we are all children of God who will spend eternity together with Him.
Thank you, Ron!
Beautifully said!
Thank you R2T2. I was trying to understand the question and thus how to answer. I like your answer. And no Jeff, that is not a poke at your question, just my understanding. 😊
Hi Rich,
Actually, I “get it.” That question was a doozy! What I liked about it was that it can be understood several different ways.
There is nothing wrong with your “understanding!” 🙂