Complete in Him

"You are complete in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority." (Col. 2:10)

What does my "completeness" have to do with "rule and authority"?

To the degree that human power structures and institutions define me, I will be incomplete.

Do you think of Jesus as being "in charge"? Do you ever get frustrated with our leaders - whether political, business, or even religious? With all the messes in the world, how can we even say that God cares?

"My kingdom is not of this world," Jesus says. "Of" here could also be translated as "from," the idea being that the source of our identity - the status of our citizenship - is from the King Messiah who is in heaven. We must not let things "on earth" set the terms for our spiritual life.

This does not mean we want to "escape" the world - though this is a common view in popular evangelicalism. Rather, we bring the Messiah's Kingdom to the earth. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." So goes the Lord's Prayer.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way later on in the same letter:

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

And a few lines later,

"And whatsoever you do, do it singleness of heart, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord you shall receive a reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Messiah."

No matter what our earthly demographic coordinates might be, by keeping our eyes on Yeshua we will maintain an orientation to the world such that in bringing His love and service to address the needs of others as the Spirit leads, we also remember that it is He who calls and defines us. This is how we find our "completion in Him" - by living "in" this world while trusting in His leadership and lordship over our souls.