The Presentation of Splendor

When Judy offered to mentor the women in our office, I jumped at the chance. My first homework assignment was to study Colossians 3. 

Those who are accustomed to my study techniques, or have read my blog for a while, know that an entire chapter is a huge undertaking for me. I can stay in one verse for weeks on end. I once wrote more than 50 blogs on a single passage. 

It's taken a while, but I've made it to Colossians 3:4. The beauty of this verse has stopped me in my tracks. 

"When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with Him in glory." Colossians 3:4 nasb

I'll spare you all the Greek words, but the "when" means that Christ will return, but we don't know the exact time yet. "Life" means life that's real and genuine, active and vigorous, devoted to God and blessed both in this life and the next. "Glory" indicates the condition of blessedness, splendor, and majesty.

Here's the Leanna paraphrase.

When Jesus comes back, wrapped in splendor and majesty, shining in all His glory, every eye will be turned to His magnificence. The most amazing thing will happen. He'll present us, His bride, the church, in His same splendor and magnificence, to the world. 

When God the Father shows off His Son, He'll show us off, too.

In a way, His bride is a kind of "trophy wife" because He bought her, cleansed her, changed her, transformed her and made her a beautiful trophy of grace and love. What's truly incredible is that we, His disciples, are the bride of Christ. We are the ones whom He will present. 

We won't be merely wrapped up in a fancy outfit that makes us look glorious. We'll be transformed from the inside out. 

How great is that?

We can look at the rest of this passage another day, but here's the quick summary. We are to get ready for Presentation Day (AKA Christ's Second Coming) now by getting rid of sin and embracing righteousness. 

Today, let's take a careful look at our hearts. Are we prepared for presentation? If not, let's renounce our sin and embrace the righteousness of Christ. He's coming back, and it might not be long. We need to be ready. 

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No blog yesterday because I was out of town and away from wifi, but here's the link to Friday's blog: The Lurking Serpent and the Biblical Application Challenge

For those who have had a hard time downloading the James study to their phones, I've divided it into separate blog posts, and you can access it that way. Links are embedded. You won't need the BLB app, but you will need the electronic copy to have the links, even if you print it. Go to Lessons in Discipleship
If you'd like to participate in the James study, here's how: More than Enough: Living a Life Worth Living

If you'd like to help support this ministry, here's the link to give: Global Outreach Acct 4841
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