My best friend did some savvy shopping and purchased an old chest of drawers for her daughter’s bedroom. I stopped by, and she was delighted to show me the beautifully refinished piece of furniture on display. After I “oooh-ed and aah-ed” at how lovely it looked, she showed me the “before” picture of how the wooden wardrobe had appeared when she loaded it up into the truck to take home. I gasped, “Wow, that’s quite a transformation!”
“I spent the first day just stripping away all the unnecessary layers of gunk and paint to unveil its original design and then started with raw material,” she explained.
You can’t create a masterpiece from a mess. You have to remove all the damage that is hiding the foundation and hindering the process.
As we start our study of Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae, I can’t help but think about how this truth doesn’t just apply to pieces of furniture. We need to strip away all the layers of misguided thinking and the shame that the enemy of our souls wants to smother us with to keep us feeling outdated and ineffective.
Paul writes this letter to Christ followers who are fighting hard to keep the faith, but false teachers have come in with their paint brushes heavy-laden with untruths and are trying to varnish lies right onto their hearts.
As an “apostle,” this spiritual father has been appointed by Jesus as a teacher and granted the authority to preach the Word of God in faith and truth (1 Timothy 2:7). He has been called to strip away all the false doctrine that could prevent these believers from fully growing in the knowledge of Christ and bringing our Savior great glory as His creative work.
Friend, you and I have some layers that we need to strip away, too. We live in a world where everyone has an opinion about “who we are” and “what we need to do to be a better version of ourselves,” but no one gets to determine our identity and purpose except for Jesus. These words from Paul are not just for the church in AD 62. These truths need to adhere to our souls so that we can shine.
You are a saint. You no longer live led by the ever-changing, twisted truths of this world. You have committed your life to Christ, and you live set apart to serve His kingdom.
You are a sister. When you joined the family of God, you gained a community of faith to love you and link arms with as you persevere through adversity and pursue Jesus. Knowing Christ knits our hearts together and helps us to stay encouraged and endure as we work together side-by-side and uphold one another.
You stand secured by grace in Christ. Even though you were still a sinner, Jesus chose to cover you with His steadfast love and sacrifice all to rescue you. Your sinless Savior carried your debt to the cross and stripped away all the unbearable weight that kept you enslaved to shame and condemnation.
You remain filled by peace in Christ. Fear no longer controls your outlook on your future. Worry has been replaced by wholehearted worship.
Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us strip away any untruths that have remained layered on our minds and hearts and hinder the work Jesus wants to accomplish in our lives. Because we know Christ and trust Him as our Teacher, we can trust He will provide exactly what we need and continue to transform us into His image.
