Bourland Family Blog

“He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent].” Colossians 1:18 ->me: In order to be an active member of the body of Christ, I must be paying attention to and listening for the instruction of the Head. When I am not conforming to the instruction, commands, and will of the Head then I am not ‘working’, I am a lame appendage. So, what I feel the Lord is telling me today is that when I am not being obedient to the Rule of Christ as Head of the body (the church) then I am not falling in line with what I have been designed to do in in the Church Body of Christ. This aspect becomes even more important for those who will be held to a higher account of leadership/teachers in the church (this is me too as the leader of a Life Group). If this is correct then all those churches who believe you can be a vibrant growing church with leaders and teachers working through enslavement by unrepentant sin, no matter the sin, are fooling themselves. Paul’s 2 letters to the Corinthians to turn them from their fornication is a perfect example.

“For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him, and He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together).” Colossians 1:16-17 ->me: All things were thought up and designed by Jesus–all types of things in all dimensions and realms. All things were created by Him personally; not only did He think them up but He formed them with His own hand and put them into place. All things are controlled by Him. There is nothing that happens that He is not intimately involved in. Jesus was there before anything else was and He holds everything together by His might and will. Yesterday the Lord called on me to do something crazy and through a struggle with my flesh the Lord gave me the strength to obey and I was blessed to be a part of what God wanted to happen – He used me as an aspect of this strength to manage the universe….how stinking awesome is that??? This is what God wanted to teach me this morning following on from yesterday’s QT—>My joy comes from glorifying God through obedience to Him; plain and simple. I should not expect anything from God for He has already done more for me that I could ever comprehend deserving. Happiness to the believer is obedience and worship.

“[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.” Colossians 1:13-14 ->me: What an awesome truth to ponder on -> God rescued us; He has drawn us to Himself. He has plucked us out of satan’s dominion and set us in the safety and rule of His Son the Lord Jesus. The dominion of darkness cannot touch the Kingdom of the Son of His Love. I must realize and internalize this truth in order to have the hope in the promises God has made about the future and eternity. We are covered and cleansed by the washing of the blood of the cross. Our sins are no more; they are literally washed away. Lately have been focused on God making me feel good about my life in Him -> “God I have been seeking You in your word and desire to be with You, so why are you not making me feel good inside about it??” This is absolutely backwards!! The base bottom root of all intention must be glorifying God and His Kingdom….not what he can do for me and my morale. God may give me that peace I have felt from Him numerous times but getting that should not be my motivation for seeking Him through my quiet times or prayer. Lord God forgive me for not having the right heart lately; for allowing my sinful fleshy being to focus on self rather than YOU, the Creator of heaven and earth.

“[We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy, giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light.” Colossians 1:11-12 ->me: Verse 11 contributes 2 very important pieces to Paul’s prayer – 1) That growth in the knowledge of God, and in holiness, is an uphill battle. 2) That strength for this battle can only come, but will surely come, from the power of God Himself. “Might of God’s Glory” – The image that comes to my mind when I read this is the image John gives us in Revelation of his vision of heaven with peeling thunder and lightning emanating from the throne. This glory would be filled with power and an unsettling view of His might and capability. I am to enact EVERY type of endurance and patience WITH JOY and I am able to do this because of being invigorated strengthened with ALL the power . This is so applicable in some situations I am in today. Finally I must remain in an attitude of thankfulness to the Father Who through the work of His Son has certified and equipped me to take part in the inheritance that has been given to and is in Christ Jesus. All I can think about when I read this verse is how I need to knock down my pride and fall to me knees in front of that quaking throne.

“<read verse 9 again to follow>That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].” Colossians 1:10 ->me: Being ‘filled with knowledge’ means that it is something that done by God. He gives/fills me with this knowledge. Through reading His word, that knowledge He gives me can then be equipped by viewing that knowledge through spiritual insight and wisdom. I believe that all of this combined together leads to understanding and discernment of things going on in the spiritual realm. When I do this it will enable me to live out my earthly life in a way that is worthy of God; where He is pleased with my conduct, the way I live, and the way I treat others. Because I understand the gravity of spiritual things I will desire to please God in all that I do. With my new found knowledge and wisdom, I will also know how to make the most out of every good work. This results in growing and increasing IN AND BY the knowledge of God. In and By -> The more knowledge I am filled with, the more information I will have to grow in my relationship with God and have reverential fear of Him.

“For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things—” Colossians 1:9 ->me: This passage of Colossians 1:9-14 is one of my favorites and have been working to memorize it. It is because of what God has already done that Paul can pray with confidence for what God will do. Having begun a work of grace, God will continue and complete it (Phil 1:6). The ‘knowledge of God’s will’ is more than simply an insight into how God wants His people to behave: it is an understanding of God’s whole saving purpose in Christ, and hence, a knowledge of God Himself. Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are best understood by looking at how these words were used in the Old Testament and Jewish background; in which they regularly denote aspects of character which God seeks to instill in His people through persistent instruction. Now take what I know about these three words and focus them on comprehending spiritual things. This is why this verse is so powerful to memorize in conjunction with the following 4. Lord help me to pray for the right knowledge, wisdom, and understanding; the ability to discern your thoughts and intentions.

“[The truth of the Gospel] has come to you. Indeed, in the whole world [that Gospel] is bearing fruit and still is growing[by its own inherent power], even as it has done among yourselves ever since the day you first heard and came to know and understand the grace of God in truth.” Colossians 1:6 ->me: God is doing, through the gospel, what He always intended to do. He is sowing good seed in the world, and preparing to reap a harvest of human lives recreated to reflect His glory. In this self-centered age I will do well to remind myself how often Paul’s ‘you’ is plural – and that he is not merely referring to a collection of individuals, but indicating a corporate unity, the Body of Christ. During my study of this verse today there was one thing that stuck out to me – The response to the gospel will involve not only intellect but also emotions; it should also be stated that intellect and emotions, head and heart, are not simply two separate compartments without an adjoining door. Clear recognition and understanding of the genuine Christian Gospel – that God so loved the world that He gave His Son to die for it – is a most powerful igniter to full-hearted Christian love for God in return. More clearly -> Such an emotional response can in its turn fuel the desire for a deeper intellectual understanding of God’s nature and purposes….&….a deeper intellectual understanding of God’s nature and purposes can fuel desire for a stronger relationship and love for Him.

“For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [the leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] and of the love which you [have and show] for all the saints (God’s consecrated ones), because of the hope [of experiencing what is] laid up (reserved and waiting) for you in heaven. Of this [hope] you heard in the past in the message of the truth of the Gospel,” Colossians 1:4-5 ->me: FAITH, LOVE, and HOPE – These are the things in the Colossian church that Paul thanks God for (from verse 3). These three things are the signs that new life is springing forth. The FAITH spoken here by Paul is not just any religious belief…It is defined as ‘faith in Christ Jesus’. I also find it awesome that the Colossians acts of LOVE are stories that have made it all the way through travels of people from there – they must have been on fire. Here HOPE is not so much referring to the state or activity of hoping as to the thing ‘hoped for’ -> ‘it is the hope stored up for you in heaven’ (1 Peter 1:4 & 2 Timothy 4:8). The ‘hope’ is that which I have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel. “The Gospel” for Paul, is an announcement, a proclamation, whose importance lies in the truth of its content. It is not, primarily, either an invitation, or a technique for changing people’s lives. It is a command to be obeyed and a power to let loose in the world.

“PAUL, AN apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), by the will of God, and Timothy [our] brother, to the saints (the consecrated people of God) and believing and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace (spiritual favor and blessing) to you and [heart] peace from God our Father. We continually give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), as we are praying for you,” Colossians 1:1-3 ->me: I think it is interesting how Paul starts out with a blessing delivered in written form – “Grace and peace to you from God our Father”; this not only is indicative of the closeness of Paul’s relationship with the Lord but also the heartfelt love he has for the people of Colossae. I try to imagine Paul and Timothy praying for the churches they send these letters to, according to verse 3 they are ‘continually’ giving thanks for the Colossian’s as they are praying for them. Tonight when I pray for those in my earthly garden, I will thank God for the blessing they bring into my life along with the prayers I raise up for them.

“And they shall go forth and gaze upon the dead bodies of the [rebellious] men who have stepped over against Me; for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind.” Isaiah 66:24 ->me: This is a very interesting point that Isaiah is making. Spiritually, when everyone comes to worship they should make it a point to go out and look at the cemetery outside the temple and gaze upon the fate from which they have been rescued. We should enjoy our Salvation but we should not allow ourselves to forget the day of vengeance. These bodies are dead because the judgement of God is real; those bodies slain by the Lord should be a reminder. The accusation leveled against those in the ground, as the reason they are there is that they ‘rebelled’. They knew the word of the Lord but deliberately and willingly went their own way. The purpose of visiting the cemetery is not to gloat or even pity bit to be repelled and revolted; to see again the wages of sin and the fruit of rebellion. They should then be newly motivated to obedience and love of the word of God. —– Today completes my study of Isaiah. I started this journey on May 24th of last year and what an amazing set of revelations and learnings the Lord has taught me. Onto Colossians!