A Life Well Lived
About one hundred miles east of Ephesus sat a city named Colossae. It was a city encompassed in spiritual darkness, void of the true knowledge of God. Its population was made up of both Jews and Gentiles, and it was steeped in pagan mysticism, human philosophy, and the practice of magic arts. During their worship, they sought to work themselves into a religious frenzy, entering trance-like experiences that claimed to transcend the ordinary limitations of human nature.
Like much of Asia Minor, Colossae lived under the shadow of pagan worship, including the widespread influence of Artemis (Diana), whose magnificent temple stood in nearby Ephesus. Through the perverse acts associated with her worship, people sought the promises of fertility, prosperity, long life, and sexual fulfillment. The seductive nature of this false religion led countless souls into gross idolatry.
It was into this darkness that God sovereignly moved upon the heart of a man named Epaphras. By God’s providence, he was led to Ephesus, where the Apostle Paul had been faithfully preaching the gospel. As he listened intently to Paul’s teaching, the Holy Spirit awakened his heart to the truth. He came to see the utter deadness of his soul, that he stood under the righteous wrath of God and deserved nothing but His perfect justice. God opened his eyes to the truth of the gospel, and he fled to Jesus Christ alone for mercy and salvation. The genuineness of that faith would soon be demonstrated by the transformed life he lived.
Christian, within that inspired letter, Paul describes Epaphras as “a bondslave of Jesus Christ.” May the testimony of this faithful servant burn so deeply within our hearts that we count all things as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord, and may we joyfully become His bondslaves in the ministry of reconciliation.
With the few breaths that we have upon this earth, is it not worth spending the remainder of our days carrying this glorious message of Jesus Christ to those who are perishing? Let us beseech them to look yonder to Calvary’s cross, where a bleeding Savior bore the transgressions of His people. Let us tell them of the great mercy God had upon us when He plucked us from the chasms of hell and set our feet upon the firm foundation of Christ. He implanted within us an unshakable faith that gladly yields to His supreme authority and is continually evidenced by a life of repentance. May we now spend the rest of our days proclaiming that same glorious gospel until He calls us home.
Beloved, let us travel back in time for a moment to December 18, 1722. Under deep conviction of sin, a young man named Jonathan Edwards, only eighteen years old, began writing a series of resolutions expressing his desire to live in complete submission to the Lord. Over the following year, he continued adding to them as God refined him through the ordinary struggles of life. Those resolutions became the roadmap of a life wholly devoted to Christ.
In time, God used Jonathan Edwards to influence an entire generation during the Great Awakening. The Word of God came forth like thunder, shattering hardened hearts and bringing thousands to repentance and faith. Beloved, what resolutions govern your life? What consumes your thoughts, your time, and your affections? If your life were examined today, would it reveal a heart wholly surrendered to Christ?
Colossians 4:12 (NASB)