Marbles

Colossians 2-Part 3
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.         Colossian 2: 9


LET IT GLOW

Nowhere else do we find the fulness of the Godhead, but in Christ Jesus. He has all the attributes and essence of deity; he's not only divine, but deity; not only Godlike, but God; not a nature like God, but a nature the same as God's. (Liberty Bible Commentary)

David Guzik said, "Since all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus, He cannot be a halfway God or a 'junior god.' The Gnostic heresies mad a radical seperation between the spiritual  and the natural."

NLT says it this way,"For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body."

To me, believing who Christ Jesus is, is a foundamental doctine of the Christian faith. If I believe He is God, then why don't I trust Him to work things out in my life, since God is all-powerful? I have to let go, and let God handle things, don't I?


LET IT GROW

I remember playing marbles as a kid with my older brother. The object of the game was to use the big marble to knock the other marbles out of the circle drawn in the dirt. As I recall, he always won. He  could use his thumb to send the big marble flying across the dirt hitting others out of the circle. Of course I didn't realize the difference at the time. It wasn't that he was deceitful, but that he was stronger than I. Needless to say, marbles was not my favorite game to play. Beware-the devil wants to knock us out of the Christian ring of faith. He tries to water down the Word of God, change it. He tries to mke divisons in the chruch so we stop going. Don't let him be the big marble-let God.

Let's go back to verse 8. It says: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."  

NLT  says, "Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ."

Paul is warning the Colossians to be on their guard, keep a watchful eye open, be alert. Why? Because the enemy is lurking in darkness. He wants to kidnap us and seduce us from faith in Christ. Don't be taken captive as a prisoner of war, lead away into slavery. Am I a slave to materialism, self desires, traditions, works?

David Guzik said, "Don't be cheated by what comes from man."

Henry Blackaby said, "There is a subtle temptation that encourages Christians to be 'practical.' That is, they try to do God's work in man's way. 'Getting results' becomes the primary focus. An examination of God's Word shows that the means are sometimes even more important than the results. The children of Israel marched around Jericho thirteen times then blew their trumpets and it brought down the walls (Josh. 6).
It did not appear wise to select the youngest of Jesse's sons to become the next king, but God saw a man after His own heart. (1Sam. 16:11)."

The Gnostics false teaching was dependent on human tradition, astrology, angelic powers, and non-Christian.
(Shepherd's Notes)

"The way that the world thinks and acts is contrary to the way that Jesus thinks and acts," said David Guzik.

Here we have human reasoning versing divine revelation; man's theories versus God's truth; fables versus facts; ritualism and materialism verses Christ's Way.

Am I attempting to do God's work man's way or my way? Am I being practical instead of seeking God's will in matter?


LET IT GO

Let Jesus be the Lord of my life and not me.

Be aware of wrong beliefs.

Stay in God's Word.