Colossians 2  Paul says that his purpose is to encourage believers, that "they may be joined together in love."  He wants them to "have all the riches derived from being assured of understanding and fully knowing God's secret truth, which is - the Messiah!" 

The NASB says it this way.. ".. that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." 

The finish line.. the goal, the prize, the "riches"  or wealth that we are "attaining to".. is found in Jesus.  "For in him, bodily, lives the fullness of all that God is. And it is in union with Him that you have been made full - He is the head of every rule and authority. "

The way- the path we must walk..  "comes from the full assurance of understanding.. " We must be completely convinced, persuaded, and confident in what we now understand - what we have learned;  what we have comprehended -about Jesus.  We must be "deeply rooted in him"; "built up in him"'  and "established in [our] faith" in Him. For all the  ".. treasures of wisdom and knowledge"  are found in Jesus. 

Paul warns his readers to "watch out".... and we need to heed his warning. 

For some will try to take us "captive by means of philosophy and empty deceit."(v8) ( Sounds like the nightly news to me..)

Some will try to keep us from our prize by leading us to false practices and false worship. (v18)

Some will bother us with man-made rules and false teachings. (v22)

We must not fail to hold on to Jesus "the Head, from whom the whole Body, receiving supply and being held together by its joints and ligaments, grows and God makes it grow." ( v19)

This is our belt of TRUTH. Be encouraged in Jesus.  Be united in Jesus. And be fully confident in what we have learned about Jesus in whom ALL wisdom and ALL knowledge is found. 

Father, You have made us full.. complete.. in union with Jesus our Lord. He is our King.. our Head.. and we stand firmly in the Beautiful One who made us alive, forgave our sins, and wiped away the charges against us. Help us in our weaknesses and struggles, Almighty Lord.  May we draw nearer and nearer to Your heart and  kept in Your Hand where we can never be snatched away!  Your praise is on our lips!  Hallelujah. Amen. 

 Colossians 1:14-29

After Paul prays for the church to grow in "the full knowledge of God", he turns his thoughts towards Jesus.  We who have been rescued from darkness have been "transferred .. into the Kingdom of His dear Son."  These verses sing out eternal truths about our Savior!

v14 "It is through his Son that we have redemption- that is, our sins have been forgiven."  

We could stop right there and go no further.. awestruck by this amazing Truth.. humbled and flat on our faces before such a Gracious God who would go so far to bring us to Himself.  Just dwell on this one statement.. let it stir your heart and fill you with thanksgiving and joy!

We have been brought into His Kingdom.. through the redemption that Jesus purchased for us by His own blood.. 

Jesus, "the visible image of the invisible God". 

Jesus,  who is "supreme over all creation". 

Jesus, who created all things.. "they have been created through Him and for Him." - everything - all we see and all we can't see; every nation, every ruler, every authority, EVERYTHING!

Jesus, who existed "before all things". 

Jesus, who "holds everything together". 

Jesus, who is the firstborn;  who is the fulness of God  - is the One who reconciles us with God through His sacrifice on a cross. 

Paul proclaims this Good News to those who had no hope and they grasped it and held on.  May we never be moved from this simple and profound Truth.  It is our armor.  It is our Light. It is our foundation and our joy.  Paul calls it a glorious secret..  a mystery... we.. every single one of us who believe in and trust Jesus as our Savior and Lord.. have been set apart for God and united with Jesus.. forever and ever!

Father in heaven, Holy and Perfect.. great are You Lord and greatly to be praised! What wonder and awe we share as we dwell here in Your Word and marvel at the work of Your Hands.  In all wisdom and power, You sent Your Son to redeem us.. to forgive us all our sins.. and to reconcile us to Yourself in Christ Jesus.  We thank You and praise You and give You all of our worship.. for You are our God. In the wonderful and powerful name of Jesus we pray. Amen. 

 Colossians 1  Paul was thankful to God for what he was hearing about the believers in Colosse : 

He heard of their faith in Jesus. 

He heard of their love for the saints. 

He heard of their hope in heaven. 

He heard of their reception of the Word of God. 

He heard of the fruitfulness of their lives as they shared the Gospel. 

He heard of the love "which the Spirit" had given them. 

So Paul prayed that they would keep growing - growing in knowledge and understanding of God's will; growing in character and in strength; growing in patience and perseverance . 

This  powerful prayer in found in verses 9-12:

"Therefore, from the day we heard of it, we have not stopped praying for you,

asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and understanding,

which the Spirit gives;

so that you may live lives worthy of the Lord and entirely pleasing to hm,

being fruitful in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God.

We pray that you will be continually strengthened with all the power that comes from his glorious might.

so that you will be able to persevere and be patient in any situation, joyfully giving thanks

to the Father for having made you fit to share in the inheritance of his people in the light."

We cannot do much better than to pray these things for one another... 

Father we thank You for making us fit for the inheritance that lies ahead for us in Your light..  May we grow in understanding and knowledge of Your will.  May we truly love others and be faithful in serving others.. that the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control, in the Spirit, would increase more and more... to the glory of Your Name. We thank You for rescuing us from the domain of darkness and placing us in the Kingdom of Your dear Son, for it is in His name, the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. 

 Philippians 4  The Complete Jewish Bible takes the words "in Christ" and deepens its meaning ( for me) with the words  "in union with the Messiah Yeshua" or "in union with the Lord".  Throughout this letter Paul has focused on this reality for the Christians in Philippi and for us... 

".. in union with the Messiah.. " (2:1) Paul extends encouragement, comfort, love and fellowship in the Spirit to his brothers and sisters, desiring their union with one another with a common purpose and love. 

In 2:5 Paul reminds them and us that this "union with the Messiah Yeshua" should govern our attitudes towards one another - an attitude of humility and sacrifice. 

In chapter 3 Paul says to "rejoice in union with the Lord" and to realize that everything else is worthless in comparison to this wonderful miracle of God's grace, love, and power. 

Here in chapter 4 Paul once again exhorts his readers to rejoice, to stand firm, to reconcile differences, and to trust God fully for every need - in "union with the Lord ".  

It is "in union with Jesus" that we find strength to keep standing in trying times. (v1)

It is "in union with Jesus" that we can truly rejoice! (v4)

It is "in union with  Jesus"  that we can pray.. "Don't worry about anything on the contrary make you requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. Then God's shalom, passing all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua." (v6-7)

It is in union with Jesus that our minds can be focused on "what is true, noble, righteous, pure, lovable, or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy."

It is " in union with Jesus" that we can rest in the reality that "God will fill every need of yours according to his glorious wealth, in union with the Messiah Yeshua." ( v19)

Father in heaven, it is union with Jesus, the  faithful and righteous One, that we come to You boldly- to your throne room -to praise the holiness of Your Name and to seek Your Face.  You are God alone.  You are all powerful, all knowing, Infinite, all wise, and full of compassion and grace towards us who are in Jesus. To You we offer up prayers and petitions, with thanksgiving. We ask that You meet our daily needs. We ask that You forgive us our sins.   We ask that You lead us in Your paths of righteousness. We ask that You deliver us from the evil one. We ask that You restore our souls and our bodies. We ask that You be our strength, our rock, and our fortress.. that You be near.. and that we would know You more.  We give You thanks for hearing us and for loving us. We thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord, in Whom we stand, Amen. 

 Philippians 3  "... rejoice in union with the Lord.."  This is the theme and the exhortation of Paul's letter.. 

Everything else is garbage... Paul had all the qualifications to be a Jewish super-star, but none of it mattered to him after he met Jesus.  Everything that his world valued had no use in the reality of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and King. 

Paul was dedicated to the Lord when he was eight days old.

He was from the right family, the right nation, and the right school. 

He was passionate about his life and work. 

He was obsessed with keeping the rules... perfectly!

Yet, he was lost and separated from the God he claimed to serve.. until he met Jesus. 

Paul tells his story so that we can realize that we are in the same situation.. we all need to surrender all the "garbage" that we are clinging to.. everything that we think makes us better, makes us successful, makes us happy, or makes us "right"... So that we trust in Christ alone. 

In union with Jesus we find true righteousness.  It was His faithfulness.. His death, His resurrection, His perfect righteousness that is our source of life. Paul encourages us to pursue Him... pursue  "the goal in order to win the prize offered by God's upward calling in Messiah Yeshua." 

Pay attention.

Conduct yourself accordingly.

Imitate Paul's pattern -surrender, leave behind the worthless pursuits, and strive for Jesus only!

Trust in the One who is coming.. our Deliverer, Jesus Christ the Lord.  "He will change the bodies we have in this humble state and make them like His glorious body, using the power which enables Him to bring everything under His control." 

Father in heaven, we have been blinded to the unseen reality - of heaven, of eternity, and of You.. caught up in the world and its pleasures and problems, its promises and its failures.  We need You.  We need to know You and to serve You. We choose to turn away from the things of this world.. for they are rubbish.. worthless.. for all these things will pass away.  The only True, eternal reality is You.  Open our eyes and our hearts, Lord, so that we might seek You and find You.  Let us be changed by the power of Jesus Christ as we abide in Him and rejoice that we are in union with Him.. forever and ever. Amen!

 Philippians 2  Paul emphasizes here our union with Jesus Christ.   As believers in union with Jesus we will have "a common purpose and a common love, by being one in heart and mind."   In union with Christ we will receive - "encouragement... comfort flowing from love.. fellowship.. in the Spirit.. compassion and sympathy..." 

Union with Jesus brings about a change in attitude and a change in character... 

One of the most important attitude changes is one of humility.  In humility we "regard each other as better than" ourselves.  We "look out for each other's interests and not just for [our]own".  Humility is an inward change that affects outward relationships.. 

We are called to take on the attitude of Jesus, Himself.  

As Jesus "emptied Himself" and became like a slave... we put away any attitude of superiority or pride. 

As Jesus became "obedient even to death".. we lay down our lives to follow Him. 

This is not something that we can do on our own.. but we must do our part, trusting that "God is the one working among you both the willing and the working for what pleases him.." 

Paul gives two examples of what this looks like in real people... Timothy and Epaphroditus. 

Timothy had a sincere concern for the church in Philippi.  He worked along side Paul to share the Gospel. He wasn't like others who "put their own interests ahead of the Messiah Yeshua's."(v21) 

Epaphroditus, one of their own, also had this humble attitude. He had suffered and almost died as he served Paul, but his concern was not for himself, but for his brothers and sisters who were distressed because of his illness. 

Father in heaven, You know our hearts and minds. You know our selfish ways.. our self-centeredness.  You know how we don't want to be this way.. . but we want  to lay down our lives, pick up our crosses and follow Jesus. We want to be like Him. Thank You for working in us.. to will and to work.. for what pleases You. May we serve You and live for You in every way.. every day!  Come fill us with Your Holy Spirit, sanctifying us through and through, so that we may be pure and blameless before You on that glorious day when we see You face to face. We pray this in the Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 Philippians 1  Three  statements that Paul makes in this chapter speak to my heart:

V6 "And I am sure of this: that the One who began a good work among you will keep it growing until it is completed on the Day of the Messiah Yeshua." 

V9-10 "And this is my prayer: that your love may more and more overflow in fullness of knowledge and depth of discernment, so that you will be able to determine what is best and thus be pure and without blame for the Day of the Messiah." 

V18 "All that matters is that  in every way, whether honestly or in pretense, the Messiah is being proclaimed; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.." 

Paul expresses a desire to keep living in order to help the church "progress in faith and have joy in it."  He wants them to "stand firm"; be "united in spirit"; and "fighting with one accord for the faith of the good news." 

Let us take these words to heart - make them personal to ourselves as individuals and as a church. 

Father in heaven, 

May we have the absolute certainty and assurance that You are not finished with us yet.. that You will keep working in us.. to complete what You have begun.  Even when we grow weary.. even when we grow older.. even when we are overwhelmed with this world.. You are working.. in me..in each of us; in Your church .. and in this world.  You have a plan and a purpose for each of us.  Your will be done!

Father, may we know the greatness of Your love.. the height, the depth, the width, and the length.. in "true knowledge and discernment."  May we recognize Your love and acknowledge it with a determination to do Your will.. to obey Your Word.. and to walk in Your ways.. in all purity until the day that Jesus comes. 

Father, may the Gospel be preached.. in every place.. at every opportunity .. for the salvation of men and women everywhere. In this we will rejoice!

Father, may we stand firm, putting on the armor that You provide: Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Faith, and Salvation. May we take up the sword of Your Spirit, the Word of God.  And may we be continually in prayer for one another.  In Jesus' name we ask these things. Amen.