Thursday, October 14, 2021
Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:25-27
The Treasure Inside You
Long ago, Prime Time Productions produced a self-help video that flooded the internet and became a sensation. The video’s a documentary that consists of a series of interviews that claims to reveal a secret that can provide you with happiness, fulfillment and success in life all for just $19.95. The video was endorsed by new age guru Ophrah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and talk show host Larry King. What was this secret law that would fulfill all your dreams and give you the keys to happiness, success and fulfillment? The secret can be described in four words, “The Law of Attraction.”
The law of attraction is simply this: You attract into your life whatever you think. Think negative thoughts and you’ll attract negative forces into your life. Think positive thoughts and you’ll attract positive forces. Millions of people have bought into this so called secret and swear by it.
It’s interesting that something similar was happening when Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians. The Gnostic heresy was rampant in Colossae. The Gnostics claimed to have a secret knowledge or gnosis which would open up the way for salvation. They gained their name from the Greek word gnosis, meaning knowledge. Having this knowledge would separate those who were “enlightened” from those who were not. Many Christians were being duped by this heresy and joining these groups to be among the elite who knew the secret.
We find the same thing happening today. Some things never change. There are any number of individuals who claim to have “discovered” a new spiritual truth or formula that can enhance and/or transform the lives of individuals who will subscribe to their website, purchase their book or pay for their seminar. The sad fact is that people hungry for meaning in life are easy prey for these new age, self-appointed gurus.
What many of the people who follow these vain philosophies don’t understand is that they may have already been given what they need to live an abundant life but have failed to access what they have. It’s not a secret word or formula that was dreamed up by some new guru but a mystery which has been revealed by God. It’s not some process of thought founded on some philosophical law but upon the living person of Jesus Christ. It’s not a secret you can purchase for $19.95. Rather, if you’re a Christian, it’s a secret that’s already within you.
Is it not amazing that most of the answers to the perplexing issues of life are not found around us but within us. Tapping the presence of Christ in our spirit is without question the greatest discovery a Christian will ever make. We will look at what Paul says about this and see how a believer can realize the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 2 Corinthians 4:7
