When going through challenging times, people often receive one of two pieces of advice: “Try harder,” or “Quit!” Unfortunately, most of the time, those answers are unrealistic, unhelpful or both. So, what should we do when we do not know what to do? Colossians 1 gives us some good advice.
The chapter begins with Paul mentioning two qualities that indicate his readers are on the right track: they have faith in God, and they love one another (Colossians 1:3-4). You may remember that someone asked Jesus what the greatest command of God was, and he replied, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). Success starts here, but how do we get to that point? The next verse gives us a surprising answer.
“[This] faith and love spring up from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven” (verse 5). Hope is the key that unlocks every other blessing! Therefore, we must guard our hope! Stop looking at the bad and start seeing the good. Stop imagining the worst outcome you can think of and start believing that if God is at work, anything can happen. Negativity poisons our faith and kills God’s spirit within us!
Next, Paul says that hope comes from “the word of truth, the gospel” and by understanding “God’s grace” (verse 6). We have hope, not because we are good, but because God is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (Psalm 103:8).
Too often, when we find ourselves struggling, we try to solve things on our own. Instead, we ought to begin by focusing on God’s grace and love. That will fill every situation with hope, and that hope will inspire faith in God and love for others.
We get better answers when we start in the right place.
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