For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

Colossians 2:1

The Apostle Paul started a number of churches across the Roman empire. He did not just start them and leave, but instead even after he was gone, Paul had a deep burden for those Christians he had left behind. He wrote, “Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). This care even extended to churches in places Paul had never personally been, like the Colossians. He wrote to them of the internal wrestling—great conflict—that he had on their behalf. Alexander MacLaren wrote, “How could Paul, in Rome, wage conflict on behalf of the Church at Colossæ? No external conflict can be meant. He could strike no blows on their behalf. What he could do in that way, he did, and he was now taking part in their battle by this letter. If he could not fight by their side, he could send them ammunition, as he does in this great Epistle, which was, no doubt, to the eager combatants for the truth at Colossæ, what it has been ever since, a magazine and arsenal in all their warfare. But the real struggle was in his own heart. It meant anxiety, sympathy, an agony of solicitude, a passion of intercession.”

We are meant to care passionately and deeply about the needs of others. We are called to invest ourselves into their lives. We are commanded to bear their burdens. If those around us hurt, we should hurt. If those around us are celebrating, it should make us glad. “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep” (Romans 12:5). We will not make the kind of positive impact God wants us to make on others unless we are willing to invest ourselves wholeheartedly in the cause.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1 Corinthians 1:18-21

There are many different ideas about what makes an effective ministry in the world. Every year a number of books are published, articles are written, seminars are held, and courses are developed with an eye toward finding ways to reach those around us. While it is certainly not wrong to serve God as effectively as we can, we must not fall into the trap of rejecting the core message of the gospel in an effort to attract more people to ourselves. God's plan in the first century was to reach the lost through the message of the cross, and that is still His plan today.

Whether it is in a church service or revival meeting, or in a personal conversation with a friend, neighbor, family member or co-worker, when the gospel is presented—the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ to provide the only hope of atonement for sin—God's plan is at work. God does not need our creativity to replace His message. He does not need us to change the message to make it more acceptable. He simply needs us to be faithful to proclaim the truth, and He will do the rest. Of course there will be people who reject and even mock the message of the cross. That is not our responsibility. Our job is to be courageous and consistent witnesses of the truth. That is the duty we have, and when we do God's work in God's way, He provides the harvest.

So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

1 Corinthians 14:9-12

When people stand out in any endeavor, it draws attention. Whether in business or sports or education or anything else, those who excel are looked up to by others who want to do the same. The book In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, Jr. was a publishing success story. It sold three million copies in just four years, and remains one of the better selling business books of all time. People wanted to know the traits and procedures that made excellent companies stand out. Yet when it comes to God's work, sometimes that drive for excellence is missing.

God is looking for people who are excellent, not to win fame and applause or financial rewards, but to serve Him and build up His church. God gives gifts to every believer to be used, not for ourselves, but for others. A gift that is casually treated or poorly exercised is not likely to make any positive impact. But a gift that is used in the power of the Holy Spirit to build and strengthen the work of God will change lives. It should be the desire of our hearts to be excellent in building up God's church by building up those around us. Not everyone has gifts for preaching or teaching or singing, but anyone can be an encouragement to others. The strongest churches are filled with people who are excellent in edifying.

So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 4:1-3

Solomon had a unique combination of wealth and power. There was nothing that was beyond his ability to get. Merchants came from far away bringing exotic animals, spices, clothing, and treasures. He ruled over a kingdom at peace, without having to fear any attacks or invasions. Solomon was given great wisdom by God when he was a young man, and because he asked for wisdom, God gave him a great deal more. But Solomon did not spend his life wisely. He became focused only on what is “under the sun” rather than what is eternal and lasting. Despite all that he had, Solomon was miserable. He came to view life as empty and worthless. "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

In truth, the best that this world has to offer will never provide lasting peace and contentment. All of its pleasures are temporary. But we are not meant just for this life. This is not where we are meant to focus our efforts and energy. Paul reminds us, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19). We need to keep eternity in view in all that we do. That will determine what we do, what we value, and how we live. Our hearts belong to God first and foremost. Rather than looking for hope and happiness in this world, we should look to Him for all we need both in this life and the next.

And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.

Judges 7:16-18

In the days before modern communication, soldiers on the battlefield faced huge challenges with knowing what to do as conditions changed. Gideon faced this dilemma as his tiny army prepared to go up against the massive host of the Midianites. He resolved the problem by telling his men to watch him, and then copy his actions. We all know the story of how the sudden burst of light and noise in the darkness confused the Midianites, and they were defeated by an army a fraction of their size. The audacious plan worked because it was done at the direction of God, and He worked a miracle. But the mechanics of all three hundred soldiers doing it in unison worked because Gideon set the example, and others were able to follow it.

The Lord's plan is for those of us who have been saved longer and have grown in grace to be examples for others that they can copy. This process only works if we are diligent about setting the right kind of example. Paul was able to tell the Corinthian believers to follow his pattern, not because he was something special in and of himself, but because he too was following a pattern that had been set for him. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). If we live in such a way that those who copy our attitudes and actions are becoming more like Jesus, we are fulfilling one of God's main missions for our lives. If, on the other hand, those who emulate us are drawn away, we are failing.

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

God delights in supplying what we lack. When Paul was struggling with his thorn in the flesh, his prayers for it to be removed were not granted. Instead, God told Paul to rely on Him and He would provide. There are people who tell us that loving and serving God means nothing should ever go wrong. That sounds nice, but it isn't what the Bible teaches. Things do go wrong. We get sick. We get tired. We get discouraged. We get let down by people we counted on. We face challenges that are too big for us to handle. But in every situation and in every difficulty, God's grace is more than enough for everything we may need. And He invites us to turn to Him and rely on Him rather than on ourselves. When we take matters into our own hands rather than seeking God's grace, we are headed down the wrong path.

The prophet Hanani told Asa, king of Judah, that his response to enemy aggression—seeking to hire heathen armies to fight for him—had kept him from experiencing God's deliverance. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars” (2 Chronicles 16:9). The problem is not that God is reluctant to help, but that we are reluctant to admit our complete dependence on Him. When we rely fully on what His grace provides, we will always find that we have more than enough.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:12-14

I learned a lot of things during the years we spent on the mission field in Korea when I was growing up. One of them was the difficulty of communicating with people who don't speak your language. No matter how much you may want to get a message across, if they don't understand what you are saying, they won't get it. Even a conversation about the simplest things is fruitless when your words have no meaning to the person who hears them. If you don't speak their language, you need an interpreter to get them to understand what you are saying. Otherwise no matter how eloquent or persuasive your words may be, they will not produce understanding or response.

In a similar way, when we try to share biblical truths with those who do not know Christ, they cannot understand the spiritual realities behind those truths. In fact, the unsaved person ("natural man" in 1 Corinthians 2) will never understand spiritual truths until he is saved. And even to be saved, he needs the Holy Spirit to convict him of his need for a Savior. In a very real sense, when we share the gospel with unsaved people, the Holy Spirit works as an "interpreter," convicting the hearts of those with whom we speak of the realities of what we are telling them. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8).

Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Colossians 3:11

There are all kinds of ways that people identify themselves. I am a husband, a father, and a grandfather. I am a pastor and a college president. I am a friend, author, Californian, and an American. But none of these identities, or any of the hundreds of others that people rely on as part of the way they view themselves, should be the primary one. Instead, the first and foremost identification in our lives should be that we are Christians. Nothing else comes close to being as important as our position in Jesus Christ. It is this position in Christ that is my most precious identity, and it is what gives me the most in common with any other person. .

The Colossian Christians were a mixture of cultures, languages, social statuses, and backgrounds. It would be easy for divisions to grow in the church that would hinder the work of Christ. This is what was allowed to happen in the church at Corinth. Paul wrote to reprove them: “For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it” (1 Corinthians 11:18).The importance of unity within the body of Christ cannot be overstated. It is critical to His mission for us and His plan for us to reach the world.

There is no class or group of people who are superior to others, and there is no justification for anyone to look down on others. None of us can stand before God in our own righteousness. Nothing that we have done is accomplished through our own power. No talent or gift that we have is a result of our merit. It is all God's grace. “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

Colossians 3:14

D. L. Moody was noted in the city of Chicago for his efforts to reach children. He organized special classes for those in whom others were not interested. Many of his pupils traveled past a number of other churches to arrive at Moody's. Moody told the story of a little boy who traveled a number of blocks across the city in the cold of winter for Sunday school. Someone stopped him and asked, “Where are you going?” “To Mr. Moody's Sunday school,” the boy answered. Then he was asked if he would not prefer going to a church that was closer, but he continued to insist on heading for Moody's. When he was asked the reason he replied, “Because they love a fellow over there!”

The thing that should be the distinguishing mark of our lives and service for God should be that we are reflecting His love. We should be treating others with the compassion and love that Jesus showed to them. It is not a question of programs or ideas or methods, but a question of the heart. Good methods and even great sacrifice will not produce any lasting benefits unless they are motivated by and saturated in love. Paul wrote, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3).

Love motivates us to keep going when we feel like giving up. Love encourages us to try again when someone rejects the gospel. Love lightens the load that we carry when we are investing in the lives of others. Love indicates that we are walking under the control of the Holy Spirit for it is the first of the fruit that He produces. Love shows that we are like Jesus, Who extended an invitation to all who would come to Him, meeting them with open arms.

For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

2 Corinthians 9:12-15

We often think of presents when we think of Christmas. Or perhaps as we focus on the true reason for the season, our thoughts are focused on Jesus as the baby in the manger. But the birth of Jesus Christ was not really the end gift God gave the world. Rather, Jesus' birth was the beginning of God's larger gift. It is Jesus' sacrificial death and glorious resurrection that represent the fullness of God's gift of salvation. Our sin had hopelessly separated us from God, but Jesus took on our sin and made a way for us to be reconciled to God. Throughout His ministry on earth, Jesus always said, “Father” when He spoke to God. The only exception to that was on the cross. “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34).

On the cross, the full guilt of our sin was placed on Christ, and He—on our behalf—experienced the separation from God that would otherwise be our eternal destiny. The horrible physical suffering Jesus endured on the cross was nothing compared to the pain of bearing our sin and having His perfect union with the Father ruptured as a result. Yet all of this was according to God's plan. Isaiah wrote, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand” (Isaiah 53:10). The true gift of Christmas is found not in a manger, but in a rugged cross and a borrowed tomb left empty.

But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

Colossians 3:25

On April 15, 2012 a memorial garden was opened in Belfast to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The massive ship had been built in Belfast, and made her first and only voyage from those shipyards and then to England before setting out across the Atlantic. Though there are memorials to the Titanic in countries around the world because there were passengers from so many nations, the memorial in Belfast is believed to be the only one that lists the name of every passenger and crew member who perished on that trip—more than 1500 people. Rather than separating them by what class tickets they had purchased or what their role on the ship was, the memorial lists them in alphabetical order, every one given equal listing.

The world often favors those who are powerful or rich or well-connected. Sometimes people get away with serious crimes simply because of who they are or the resources they can bring to their defense. But God does not judge as man judges. No amount of money will impress the God Who paved the streets of Heaven with gold. No amount of fame will impress the God Whose glory fills the heavens. He judges us righteously and fairly. No one will be exempt from His evaluation. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

If we have trusted Christ as our Savior, we have no need to fear God's eternal judgment—Jesus paid for our sins. But we will stand before God, on equal and level ground, to have what we have done for Him weighed. No one will be exempt, and no one will receive special treatment. “Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is” (1 Corinthians 3:15). May we live today for that day!