Before we begin, I thought you might like to know a bit of background. It’s always good to know the context, right? This is one of the letters that Paul wrote from the Roman prison. Colosse seems to have been an important city in what would now be the southwest corner of modern-day Turkey. Only ruins of the city remain today.
The Colossian church was not started by Paul, but by Epaphras, but he still cared very much for it, as you will hear once we begin reading. He was concerned for them because of the Jewish contingent that were trying to bring them under Mosaic law.
The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to encourage the Colossian church to stand fast in their faith, to not succumb to the seductions of the enemy by way of false teachings.
In chapter 2, verse 6-7 he says, “Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
So he’s telling them to stay close to Jesus. Make Him the most important part of your life. If you do that, nothing can come between Him and you.
I liken this to my relationship with my wife. The lovely lady LeeAnn and I have been married for over twenty-five years, and our marriage is rock-solid. Never once in our married life have I wished that I was not married to her. Never once has any other woman been a temptation to me. Our marriage is stronger today than the day we took our vows. Why? How have we been able to survive when so many other marriages fail? Simple. Because on every single day of our marriage, each of us has reconfirmed our commitment to one another, both verbally and in hundreds, no…thousands of large and small actions. Every day we say, “I love you” with words and deeds. We are dedicated to making our marriage is good as it can be. Sure, problems arise from time to time. But never once has either of us allowed the thought of calling it quits.
When you have that kind of commitment, there is no danger of being seduced into compromising circumstances.
This is the kind of commitment Paul says we should have with our relationship with Jesus. If we are dedicated to staying close to Him, if we are firm in our love for Him, the seductions of false teachings will have no effect on us. And the way we live that out, the method to make that a reality in our lives is to not only make daily Bible reading part of who we are, but also to keep a steady flow of conversation going with Him. Pray without ceasing, as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5. Don’t flirt with things that would draw you away. We are the bride of Christ, as we’ve been reading about in Song of Solomon.
If you truly love Him, this is not a hard thing to do. I truly love my wife, so it’s not a hard thing to stay close to her. Same with our relationship to Jesus. It’s not hard to stay close if you dedicate yourself to continually cultivate the relationship. It’s a daily decision. And the longer you stay with it, the easier it is to do.