How Great a Struggle I Have

“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:1-7 ESV)

I like to be encouraged, don’t you? I love to hear good news and not bad news. I like to feel happy and joyful and not sorrowful and not in pain. But this word “encouraged” here isn’t all just the feel good stuff. It means “comfort”, yes, but it also means to “invite, summon, strengthen, beseech, entreat, beg, urge (with a holy urging), exhort, and admonish,” too, in the things of God and in the ways of the Lord and of his commands. 

And if we read this in this context, I believe that the word “encourage” is meant more in the sense of a “holy urging” than just offering comforting words. For what is the concern being addressed here? Paul was concerned that some of them were actively being or were in danger of being deceived (conned, duped, tricked) and led astray from the truth of the gospel. For he wanted them to come to know God and his word in their fulness.

And this comes on the heels of what he said, as recorded in chapter one, where he encouraged them to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work. And he encouraged them to live holy and godly lives, and that they should continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel. And so he warned and taught them the truth so that they would reach maturity in Christ.

So his struggle for them was that they would live the life that God saved them to live and that they would not be deceived into believing the lies, but that just as they received Christ Jesus the Lord, that they would walk (in conduct, in practice) in him. For Paul and the other NT apostles, plus Jesus Christ, made it quite clear to all who would listen that if we walk in sin, and not in righteousness and obedience to God, we will not have eternal life.

But we need to understand that this is encouragement, too. For we need to hear these things. We need to be warned against falling away and against falling back into our old sinful patterns of behaviors. We need to be urged to walk in holiness and in righteousness, and not in sin. We need to be exhorted to watch out for those who are telling us lies which may feel good but which may be leading us in the wrong direction.

Why? Because if we are out there in the world, and if we are on the internet, or if we watch television or listen to the radio or if we have smartphones and computers which are connected to the internet, we have thousands of voices speaking all sorts of messages to us, and most of those messages are not good, and they are not of God, and they are not what the Scriptures teach, but they are of human flesh. And some of those are in the church, too.

Yes, we need positive messages, too, but they need to be the truth, not the lies. For it is positive to tell people the truth that they need to hear, but it is negative to tell them lies which are going to lead them astray but which may make them feel good. Yes, we need to uplift one another, but not in fakery, and not just so others will like us, but in truth and in righteousness, and this involves encouraging others to live for the Lord and not for self, too.

And why would Paul be struggling if everyone was doing well spiritually? He struggled because he was concerned that some of them were being deceived and that they were not living for the Lord as they ought to, and so he reinforced for them the importance of submission to God and obedience to him and walking in holiness and of bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. And he let them know that they must continue in this faith steadfast to the end.

So, just because you “prayed the prayer” to “receive Christ” does not insure that you are genuinely saved from your sins and that heaven is your eternal destiny. For our faith is not something that we feel, but it is shown by what we do in heart and love response to Jesus Christ for what he did for us on that cross, so that we can now die to sin and live to righteousness, and walk in obedience to his commands, in the power of God, by his grace.

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in walks of obedience to his commands, in holy living, then we have the assurance and hope of eternal life with God (Luke 9:23-26).

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

A Believer’s Prayer 

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray 

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

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