Colossians 1:28

"Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:" Colossians 1:28

Perfection is something that we cannot attain on our own. Our sinful nature is the reason we cannot attain it. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9 Who can know it? Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit are the ONLY ones who will ever truly know our hearts. Therein lies the key to attaining perfection in Christ Jesus!

We must seek to be perfect in Christ Jesus. Our heart must no longer be of this world. A total surrender is required. The reins dropped out of our hands. Our desires forfeited(for our desires are tainted by this world). We must totally immerse our heart in the Word of God. Saturation of the Holy Spirit and Christ Jesus are a must!

The heart is the most important component in this equation. The wisdom of God does not just provide knowledge. Genuineness, care, and long-suffering are three key attributes of Christ Jesus. The attributes must be ingrained into our heart by the Word of God. They lend credibility to a changed life. The world is not known for these traits. A heart full of care, genuineness, and long-suffering shows itself to be a heart after Christ Jesus. Not only a heart after Christ, a heart immersed in the loving folds of the Lamb's wooly heart! Christ's nature in us preaches a sermon all of it's own. It opens the way for the written Word of God to be preached. This is a way for souls to be won.

Teaching is a duel edged sword. Wisdom goes out to those in need; wisdom is ingrained into the teachers heart. Scripture is broken down in a manner so that it is easily understood. Explained for utilization in our life. User friendly is an adequate description. The audience gets wisdom to study and apply to their heart from the teacher. The teacher's heart is also fed. Time is spent poring over the Word. Its like the heart of the teacher is running through a field full of tall grass in the early morning. The grass is the Word of God. It is covered in dew(wisdom). As the heart runs through the grass(verses), it is soaked with the dew(wisdom). The heart is permeated by the wisdom of God. The teacher gets the joy of feeding and growing other's hearts and his own!

"....that in all things he might have the pre-eminence." Colossians 1:18C Christ must be the pre-eminent one in our life. He has to be number one. Our hearts must be lost in Him in every aspect. It is a complete surrender. Wave the white flag, tie it around your heart. Everyday, we must drive the self out and give free reign to Christ Jesus. The Word of God must cover the inside of our heart. The inside of our heart should resemble the Sistine Chapel. The Word of God paints a much prettier fresco than Michealangelo! Our hearts should continously breath in the Word so that it might be exhaled into the world. All that He is becomes all that we are. This is how we become "perfect in Christ Jesus." Wave your white flag high. Allow your heart to be forged into a striking resemblence of love through the Holy fires of Christ Jesus' heart.

kenny