A group of my friends and I have started doing a Bible study together on the book of Colossians. We've done a few studies together before, but it's been a while. Because one friend moved to Ohio, and another moved to Georgia. And there have been changes in schedules and life....But we've recently discovered a way to do it on-line! Our same old group! I'm really excited to see how it goes, and thrilled to be able to stay connected.
When reading one of those books that is a letter from Paul to the believers in one town or another, I usually skim right over the greeting. I'm looking to get into the substance of the missive. But I appreciated this study making us look closely at this greeting:
"This letter is from Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. It is written to God's holy people in the city of Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace." (Colossians 1:1&2 NLT)
One of the questions the study asks is, "in the best of family relationships, how do brothers and sisters relate to each other?" Mmmm. I like this question. I think about how I instruct our kids to treat each other, how I want them to relate to each other. There are a couple of things I have said literally thousands of times to them: "we're all on the same team," and I remind them how blessed they are to have a brother, or a sister, or two brothers, as the case may be.
We are blessed to have been adopted into God's family, with all these brothers and sisters, all on the same team. We can have each other's backs, we can keep each other honest (you know siblings are great at that!), and we can encourage one another. Sure, it doesn't always go as beautifully as God's original design, because we're all imperfect. Are we seeing what a blessing this family can be? I know I skim over that....looking for the deeper stuff. What a mistake. It's good to slow down and I'm so thankful for y'all, my family!
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