#TuesdayTruth Colossians 1:21-23

Colossians 1:21-23

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”

Wow. This passage is so powerful. It makes clear so much about the struggle that I have felt inside myself at times, and about the freedom that I can have from that internal struggle. This is the gospel, the “good news.”

First, the struggle: Feeling as though I am separated from God, with no chance at reconciliation because of the knowledge of my sin. Apart from God, we can strive, we can struggle, we can fight, we can dig, we can claw and try any number of things to try to find our way to some form of “identity.” However, this will never fill us up. No accomplishments, no accolades, no success, no job title, no amount of work, no “perfect” family unit will ever make us feel whole. None of it will ever complete us. If we are seeking anything outside of Christ, then all that is there is the constant pursuit of the next big thing, in hopes that it will be that which makes us whole.

The solution: God, the God of this whole universe, provides a way for us to get back to Him and to know our true identity in Him, through His perfect Son. No matter the things in our past, the things we have done, the shame that can rear its ugly head, He sees us as a holy, blemish-free, shame-free, beloved son/daughter when we place our faith in Him. As the scripture says here, we are “free from accusation!”

Hallelujah! That is hope. That is the gospel.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for providing a way for us to be reconciled to you. Thank you for not only giving us identity, but for giving us identity that we could never earn/deserve. Thank you that you do not ask for anything from us except faith in you, which gives us expectant hope.

We love you Father, Amen.