For in Him all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form [completely expressing the divine essence of God]. And in Him you have been made complete [achieving spiritual stature through Christ], and He is the head over all rule and authority [of every angelic and earthly power].
-Colossians 2:9-10
There is a tragedy in the world today. Far too many people are living a mere shadow of what they have been created to be. Satisfied with being just a piece of a much greater complexity. It is a weak point in our lives, a point of natural vulnerability. The world conveys this message and convinces us that we are in fact incomplete and only certain things can make us whole. Money, success, looks, acclaim, material things, relationships, the list goes on. It is a marketing firm’s greatest tool and a tactic that the enemy loves to exploit. And he does it well, thrusting a two edged sword. The temptation and the lengths we will go to attain self-affirmation will always leave us feeling empty at which point the devil doubles down and reminds us that we will never be enough. It’s a cycle that is easy to fall into and one that many never break free from.
With all the pressure to try to become “complete” we have opened the door to an identity crisis, not simply in our personal life, but within our culture. Striving to conform to an unrealistic, not to mention unstable image only leads to an unhealthy sense of self-worth. Society reaps the consequences from the slaughter of the unborn, to the destruction of our children, all the way to the disregard for our elderly. Life itself and the hope that is so vital to live seems to take a back seat to a selfish longing to “find oneself.” The vacuum created by chasing the words standard of happiness is quickly filled with issues of low self esteem, depression, anxiety, hopelessness and isolation.
Yet, the only answer is one that no money can purchase, no good work can attain and is available to everyone. It’s much more than a fad in that it was established over two thousand years ago. In Jesus Christ alone can we find something much more than our identity. In Christ, we find His identity and only that has the power and capability to make us complete. To put it in the most simplistic way, we become completely complete in Christ.
It’s not about who I was. It’s now about who I am now.
It’s not about what I have done. It’s now about what I will do now.
It’s not about what I used to believe. It’s about what I believe now.
It’s not about how I used to treat people. Only how I treat them now.
Who I am fades into completion in Christ through reconciliation with the Father. The weight of this world has been replaced with the assurance of hope and I am free to live in the confidence, the eternal confidence that I am in Him and have been made complete, achieving spiritual stature through Christ, and He is the head over all rule and authority as Colossians 2 states.
For many reading this, you know it to be true through your authentic relationship with Christ. So much of this is for the multitude of people we all come into contact with on a daily basis, caught up in the false ideals of this world, living a counterfeit or even worse an empty life. How can your testimony of completeness affect them?
Jason Metz, lead Pastor
