Christ Holds Us Together

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”  Colossians 1:17

What hope springs forth from that verse!

No matter what we are facing, in relationships or as a nation, if we are in Jesus, He will hold us together!

Let’s break that down a bit.  Maybe you have a very heated argument with a friend.  You both claim Christ as your Savior, yet neither wants to reach out to the other.  Is pride holding you back?  Is hurt, which springs from anger, harbored in your heart?

“He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.”

Both people need to sit down, separately, alone with God, and focus exclusively on Him.  Each needs to spend time is His word, the Bible, to learn or to remind himself of God’s expectations.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind and all your strength.” Matthew 22:37 “Love your neighbor as yourself”, Matthew 22:39.

Does it ever seem easier to love the “non-Christian” than to love the Christian?  When someone claiming Christ hurts or offends us we often cry “foul”.  Yet, when we don’t love them we are acting as the world claims we are: hypocritical.

If we are in Christ, truly devoting our hearts and minds to His call on our lives, we will have the strength, through Christ, (Philippians 4:13), to be able to love, no matter what.

If two opposing parties can each dedicate a time to place personal opinions and bias aside, and truly seek God’s will, Jesus will hold together their relationship.

Just as after the honeymoon is over and a marriage faces a few on the normal hardships of life; if both the husband and the wife dedicate each life to God’s service and the marriage to Christ’s call, Jesus will hold the relationship together.

The picture of Christ holding a  relationship together may not look like a Hollywood scene, but nothing Hollywood’s pictures portray can compare to the blessings you receive when you act in obedience to God.

When a nation’s people fight against one another, does that nation not weaken?  Yet, if each person first works on his relationship with God and broadens his knowledge of God’s laws, is he not better equipped to work with both his neighbor and his national leaders?

The key of course, is for each one of us to work on our relationship with Christ.  If one of us is not working on that relationship, we can not assume we will all be held together.

Maybe you feel you are the only one working on a relationship with Christ.

Don’t be discouraged! You will certainly reap the benefits of that relationship and you just never know what work the Lord is doing in someone else. Do not let Satan dissuade you from obedience.  Stay focused on Christ and all you are learning through Him, and allow God to work on others.  As you grow in faith, becoming more Christ-like, your words and actions may influence others for Christ’s cause,

Maybe you are struggling with the words or actions of other Christians. Step back for a moment and spend some time at the feet of Jesus.  Then, when the time is right, you can go to your brother or sister, in love, go, speak and act as Christ commands.

Even if the relationship is not fully restored how you picture restoration, when you have acted in accordance with Christ, you can be at peace knowing you did as you were called to do.

Reflections:

1) Study Colossians 1:15-23 for content.

2) Do you agree with the author’s application for Colossians 1:17?

3) Consider relationships in your life.  Identify at least one to diligently pray over and ask God to help you grow or restore it.

4) Consider the larger groups of people you are in.  Is one particular group standing out in need of prayer to become more Christ-like? (Maybe you are one of the office girls who occasionally gossips in the break room, or you know someone who regularly denounces his spouse.)  Pray about those relationships each day this week and speak your comments with a Christ-like focus.

5) Consider a much larger body of people to whom you belong:  a church or even your country.  Pray for all the other members, asking God to draw each one closer to Him.  Ask God to give you opportunities to show and share the love of Christ.

Thanks for reading!  I love to hear your comments, even the disagreements!  Have a great week praying over relationships and please return by Monday, December 3, for the next post.