A dear friend of mine, Pastor Rick Bradbury, recently shared with me that Colossians 3 is one of his favorite chapters in the Bible. Personally, I would have to agree with Rick, this particular chapter of the Bible is almost like a handbook for those living the life they have been given through Christ. One of my devotions this week had as the related scripture Colossians 3 and the topic was a comparison of living life for the moment, to living life with something bigger than the temporary cares of this material world in mind. Something that really caught my attention was an analogy used by the author in which he compared this material world to living in a tent, and living this life for God to living in a mansion. My take away from that devotion was this question, "Are you spending all your time furnishing a tent, or are you investing in a mansion where you can and will live eternally?"
Ironically, the author of Colossians 3 was the apostle Paul who supported himself through the trade of tent making. Funny, because Paul actually was investing in a mansion through his service to God, even as he earned his wages making temporary tent homes to sell. As the chapter begins Paul poises this declaration, "So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective." (Colossians 3:1-2 The Message Bible) Basically, Paul is charging the church of Colossae, and us today to stop putting all of our efforts in the temporary things of our everyday lives (Matt. 6:19) and start investing our attention on the things that will have more of a legacy impact on the world in which we live.
Paul moves on through the next several verses of the chapter explaining what the difference between putting our efforts into furnishing a tent and building a mansion for life looks like. Tents are temporary. If you live in a tent you pretty much are worrying about what is going to happen today. Is it going to storm, better secure the straps, going to be hot today, better open up the flaps, or even where will lunch come from today, because there wouldn't be any electricity in your tent to store food for any duration of time. How does that compare to those of us living our lives for the moment. Paul says that those who are living "in a tent" are more concerned with "sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry" (vs. 5). Temporary things, that list is all based on "wanting" something right now, like idolatry for example, what we idolize whether it is better looks, a fancier car, faster boat, more money, new spouse, or even a bigger, fancier house that should not be where our main focus should be. There's nothing wrong with owning a tent, it just shouldn't be where all of our efforts are placed. Tents are temporary housing.
In juxtaposition to an earthly tent, in verses 12-14 Paul shares that it is far better to invest our efforts in the following manner, "... clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Sounds a little different, doesn't it? Investing in a tent everything that is going into it is about you being satisfied, when we are constructing a mansion everything going into it is directed towards everyone else besides self. Instead of greed there is compassion. Replace lust and impure thoughts for kindness and patience. And probably the biggest difference would be choosing to love and serve others over using them for your own selfish desires.
You can choose to invest in a tent. That is definitely your prerogative, but just keep in mind a tent is a temporary house. Far better it is to put your efforts into building the foundation for that mansion in the sky where you will reside forever. A mansion is a big place, one that you don't want to live in all by yourself. Put your efforts into building your mansion with others in mind. What we do each day, and how we live our lives is an investment in that mansion. Paul tells us in verse 17 that all we do each and every day we should be doing it in the name of our Lord Jesus. I don't know about you, but I've slept in many a tent and that's okay for a night or maybe two, but I don't want to live there. The good news is you don't have to, you have the opportunity to build that mansion for the future, today. You decide.
Have a great week!
Coach Carter
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