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| “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” |
| —Colossians 1:28 |
The Apostle Paul felt a great responsibility for those whom God has placed under Paul’s care. We can see this clearly as we read the various letters that Paul wrote to the new churches that had sprung up throughout the then-known world.
Paul writes with concern, passion, humility, as well as with boldness and admonition when he feels a correction is needed to the people’s behavior. He had forged a relationship with most of these new Christians. He wanted to make certain they were on the right pathway and that they stayed true to the good news he had shared with them.
Even in writing to the church at Rome, at a time when Paul had not yet had the privilege of visiting with them, he uses the kind of pastoral language and sensibility that would have likely warmed their hearts upon reading his words.
In writing to the church at Colosse, Paul demonstrates a zeal for their maturity. He very much wants them to grow into the kind of men and women who will honor Christ the King through their daily walk along the pathway that the Holy Spirit had laid out for them. Notice these words recorded in Colossians 1:28:
He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
Paul has a central focus: the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no question that nothing else mattered to Paul. He only wanted to exalt the Lord Jesus. He wanted to nurture the Colossian Christians in such a way that their growing maturity would honor their role as ambassadors to a troubled and needy world.
So it is for us today. God has given us His Word and the blessed Presence of the Holy Spirit. They proclaim His truth to us in a startling way. Our only reasonable response is a response of obedience. Following the pathway the Holy Spirit lays out before us will lead us to more and more maturity in our walk with Jesus.
As we begin another day, let us hold fast to the truth God has given us in His Word. And, let us prepare ourselves for His service. He has planted us in particular places at this particular time. We are where we are for a reason. We are His Light-bearers and Salt-givers. Let us move forward into greater maturity in our walk with our Lord.
