“You Motivated Me”
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. — Col. 3:17
I was halfway into my first mile when a young women waved me down. I walked over and she said, “I see you running a lot. You motivated me. I’ve lost fifty pounds.”
We might assume Paul is telling the Colossians to be strategic with what they say and do. But what if he’s just encouraging them to faithfully bear God’s name all the time? Just live this way. Naturally. Genuinely. And then watch what happens. They will experience more eternal life. And, perhaps, an onlooker will be motivated to encounter it too.
The First Way
“We aren’t Left or Right. Christianity is a third way.” This statement is meant to help believers see the problems of over-identifying with worldly political tribes. The third way isn’t Moderate either. It’s a distinct, called-out, set-apart identity that finds its home in God’s kingdom, under Christ’s authority. This is what the word ‘holy’ means.
The idea of a third way can be improved. It’s really the first way. It’s the way we were originally created to live. Yes, humanity has wandered far, far afield. But Jesus has come to call us back. Repentance is a return. He made a way, and he is the way. The first way.
It would be just like him
The God of the Bible looks like Jesus, the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being. It would be just like him to go to the cross.
It would be just like him to go to the cross. The God of the Bible is a gathering God. A difference-crossing God. A forgiving, cleansing, and reconciling God. A friend-making God. A healing, restoring, and sanctifying God. The God of the Bible looks like Jesus, the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being. (Heb. 1:3)
I and the Father are one. (John 10:30)
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:9)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
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I practice the spiritual discipline of rescuing earthworms on paved surfaces. It's a reminder to me that I can pause what I'm doing, get a little dirty, and help. Also, that I've been given the responsibility to care.