Prayer is the highest but hardest spiritual tool we have been given to wield.

We share the mission of Christ by praying to our Father together for this mission and carefully engaging each outside soul God has given us.

As we head towards the end of Colossians, Paul begins to give instructions on how God intends the family to function within the household of God. How should children relate to parents, and how should parents relate to children?

Human marriages are designed to brilliantly transmit the love between Christ and his Church Bride. Christ created that marriage and its nature and the human marriages must mirror it in order to yield the joyful life and light of the gospel it was designed for.

Having covered Colossians 1-3 over the past 6 months, we have found an astonishing amount of things taught to us by Christ through this book. It is time to regain our bearing after all we have heard before we move into the specific applications found in this book.

Every piece of life is the Lord’s and we are called to do all of it as Christ would, in his honor, in his name, as an extension of Him as if you were Him… because He is in you.. and you are being changed into his image. This happens as we ensure that the message of Christ dwells richly in and between us and we respond in singing together to our great God.

The new man rightfully places his mind on things above, which includes a loving and peace seeking heart for God’s children here who are hidden with him in Christ. And together they carefully watch for Christ in all and all He does with thanksgiving.

Regardless or our natural inclination with God’s faulty and failing children, God has asked, called each of us to specifically deal with his Children with gentleness and patience and compassion. And when they fail and sin against you, do to them what your amazing Christ has done to you time and again… forgive them.

You have a true life. It is not in your physical possession right now, but Christ promises it soon will be and worth investing any and everything. And my brothers and sisters, when He appears again, the true you will be seen… and the world has never seen anything like it…. Has never seen anything like you in your full glory. This is where we are called to set our minds rather than this world and the flesh that fills it.

Because Christ has brought about the end of the internal rule of our sin nature and the external rule of spiritual authorities of darkness in our lives, we can live fully for him and with him through this life and beyond.

The indwelling Christ is our developed and protected lens by which to know and value all things and the supreme Lord over all.

It is the heart of the Father that each of us be brought to maturity in Christ  through teaching and shepherding so that we might do the same to many other children of God.

Brothers and sisters.. you fully belong to the Father. You have full rights and privileges of being close to him as your Father. And you have Christ in you right now… which is your God-given confidence of all the glory you will share with him in the future.