But wait, there’s more …
by Darren Pope
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‘Continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness’ (Colossians 2:6b,7).
Two for the price of one. But wait, there’s more … buy now; you don’t need to send any money, just make four easy payments – plus you get a free set of steak knives!
Have you heard these on TV before? Is it just me or are the ‘infomercials’ even louder than the normal commercials and both of them louder than regular viewing volume? Ads drive me nuts! Everyone wants me to need the gadget on offer so that my life can be better because I can be fitter, thinner, better looking, more efficient and smarter. Each item promises to deliver vast improvements to my life by saving me time and money. Wow, maybe I have been missing out all this time. I better get infoshopping – and fast. Hmm, maybe not!
Despite conjecture about the author of Colossians, the writer homes in on a few simple truths about the foundation of the gospel: all wisdom and knowledge come from God; we receive Christ; and the gospel gives hope. We are encouraged to live our lives in response to the gospel. It sounds simple enough, so why does it feel so hard to do it?
Our broken humanity means that, even with the best of intentions, we keep getting sucked into stuff we don’t need. Our self-doubt, desire to accumulate, and drive to succeed gets in the way as we shift our focus away from the gift of unending love-filled grace, and we convince ourselves that doing and buying stuff makes us better. That’s not new for people; it’s been like that since sin entered the garden, and it will keep being like that. Our sinful nature means that it just won’t change.
Responding to the unconditional love of God, we receive freely through Christ. We can continue to live our lives, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as we were taught, and we can overflow with thankfulness. Despite the weaknesses of our commitment to the relationship, our gracious and living Lord comes to each of us again today, in love, with no strings attached. He says, ‘I love you, but wait, there’s more!’
Living and loving Lord, thank you for your grace. Thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for today. Amen.
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