The reason for thanking God the Father (3)
[Colossians 1:1-8]
Paul, who wrote the letter to the Colossians, is an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God (Col. 1:1). He wrote this letter to the saints in Colossae, specifically addressing "the saints and faithful brothers in Christ" (v. 2). Here, "saints" refer to those set apart by God for His purpose and work, distinguished from the world. The term denotes individuals who have been sanctified and separated from the world by God. On the other hand, "faithful brothers in Christ" are those full of faith, trustworthy, and loyal to Christ. I hope and pray that you and I may become saints in the eyes of God, faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, so that when we stand before the Lord, we may hear His commendation: "Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities" (Lk. 19:17), and receive the crown of life from the Lord (Rev. 2:10).
When you think about "God's grace," what thoughts come to mind? Personally, I think of Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Simultaneously, another verse that comes to mind is Romans 6:23, which states: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Reflecting on God's grace, the gift of salvation, and the eternal life we receive, even though we are unworthy, leads us to gratitude for God in all things, throughout our lives, and eternally. However, when I look back at myself, I realize that I often trivialize this great grace of God. The reason is that despite being saved by God's grace, there are countless times when I fail to live as one who has received salvation. In other words, I recognize that I diminish the value of God's grace when I do not live as one who has received eternal life. Specifically, I find myself not living in accordance with the commands of Jesus, failing to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind and failing to love my neighbor as myself (Mt. 22:37, 39). I acknowledge that living up to these commands is a struggle, and there are many instances where I fall short. If I reinterpret these dual commandments of Jesus, as articulated by the apostle John in 1 John 2:15-17, to mean loving the Lord and my brothers while hating the world and its desires, I admit that there are times when I subtly love the world and its fleshly desires and the pride of life in my heart. Moreover, when the apostle John reinterprets Jesus' dual commandment as "love one another; do not hate your brother" (1 Jn. 2:3-11), I confess that I sometimes sin by not loving my brothers and even harboring hatred in my heart. It's in these moments that I realize I am tarnishing God's grace of salvation and eternal life. How about you?
One more thing that comes to mind when I think of God's "grace" is a short reflection I wrote on June 21, 2019, which says, "Let's focus on God's sufficient grace rather than removing the thorn in my flesh." I have prayed countless times over the years for God to remove the "thorn in my flesh," but God says to me, "My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Cor.12:9). The purpose behind God allowing this thorn in me is to prevent excessive pride. If I did not have this thorn, how much more arrogant would I have become? From now on, I want to focus not on the thorn in my flesh but on God's abundant grace bestowed upon me in the midst of that thorn. I humbly want to enjoy God's abundant grace, not only sharing my weaknesses but also boasting so that I may experience God's power more fully. Consider 2 Corinthians 12:7-9: "So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
In conclusion, when thinking about 'God's grace,' we should always remain in God's grace (Acts 13:43). Our awareness of grace needs to be strong, rejecting any tendency towards meritocracy. A great example of this is the apostle Paul, who had a strong awareness of God's grace. In 1 Corinthians 15:8-10, he says, "Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." We, like Paul, need to work more in God's grace. Our confession should be, "It was not I but the grace of God that is with me" (v. 10).