Comfort Found in Jesus

Colossians 1:11
"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;"

Strengthened with all might...what does that mean? According to Matthew Henry's commentary, it's as if we're being furnished by God. God furnishes our earthly bodies with the character of Christ. When we are strengthened in that manner, we are given the ability to endure many things. We can now have miraculous patience during a time of turmoil and confusion and we can also endure suffering. We are given longsuffering--the ability to endure suffering and be patient for a long time. I have personally seen this at work many times: when it seems like believers endure a situation that is just tragic, they always seem so patient because God gives them the comfort they need.
He promises us that He will not leave our sides. He promises peace and comfort when we ask. He is not a God who likes to watch His children suffer. He sent HIS ONLY SON FOR US so that we won't have to suffer!

Don't you think then that He will care for those who go through tough times?

"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:20

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We Spice the World

'You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.' 

Matthew 5 : 13 

I don't doubt that you have seen this verse before-- I have seen it many times-- but today it held more importance to me, thanks to the wisdom that God has shared with me. 

When I read that verse today, I thought "we spice up the world; we make it taste good". 

For the past few weeks, my family hosted a bible study on Daniel and partially revelation and the man who led it was talking about the rapture.  

He mentioned how as Christians, we bring the goodness of Christ to the world. However, when we get taken away, there will be no enforcers of good because Christ's people will be gone, therefore all that's left is those whom the devil has control of. There will be chaos and immorality. 

In the next verse, we are also called "the light" to the world. We are AMBASSADORS of Christ. 

Wow! Such a huge responsibility! We need to make the bitter world taste good! We're not asked to add to the bitterness, are we? So then, we need to resist the temptations that this world puts right in front of us. 

In order to spice this world with our salt we MUST strive to look like Christ. 

Of course to be the split image of Christ is an unattainable goal, however we must TRY. It is too easy to ignore Christ's commands and live comfortable lives when the world around us looks so welcoming.

However, we mustn't forget our mission. We ARE the body of Christ, so we need to resemble Him at least.

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Devoured By The Devil

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5 : 8

Yesterday evening the speaker at our church talked about "problems in the church" and he was talking about how the devil can attack us in very obvious ways (ie. Persecution in the Middle East) and very subtle ways. He mentioned how the devil would obviously go for the more subtle way of breaking up the church and its purpose, however if that doesn't prove successful then he would go for the obvious. Then he said that if the subtle strategy works on God's people, there's no need for him to change strategies. Then he asked a rhetorical question: why is it that in North America we don't face severe persecution?

We must be lucky...or have the devil's subtle methods proven successful in distracting the Christian church from its purpose? What should the lack of opposition tell us? WE AREN'T TRYING HARD ENOUGH AS A CHURCH TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST AND MAKE DISCIPLES! Have our churches become corrupted? Have we lost sight of our purpose? Perhaps we've diverted from the ministry work and our churches became charities just like those non-christian charities around us. What's the point in helping the flesh if we're neglecting the spirit? Why can't we do both? Serve the needy and preach? What happened to us? Have we been devoured by the devil?

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Kindhearted not Aggressive

" Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, "
Colossians 3 : 12

Notice how this list doesn't include: judging hearts, aggression, vengeance, etc.?
Perhaps that's because we shouldn't have those qualities. Every time I look at Christ's character and then look at mine I see how vastly different they are. When I think I'm living the right way I realize that I'm not as forgiving and patient as I should be. Being kind and gentle should be trending in the Christian faith yet there's still a lack of it because it's difficult to oppose aggression and evil with a gentle spirit, isn't it?

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Citizens of Heaven

" But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,"  Philippians 3 : 20

Our citizenship isn't in Canada in North America on Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy. Our citizenship is in HEAVEN. What does that mean? It means we belong there; we have residence there. So then how should our lives reveal that concept? Well we're on a temporary mission (like Thor): to share the Good News of Christ. Then what should our lives reflect? Why the completion of our mission of course! Our mission isn't to get distracted and relax and coast while our other "missionaries" are doing the work. We, as the Body of Christ should work as a whole to complete our mission.
How is your life contributing to the mission?

Thor never stopped trying to prove to his father that he was the leader that their world needed and he didn't care that he seemed strange to humans when he reflected his world's character.

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