FeyVored

 Here is a letter from Paul to the church in Colosse and to us. The first part of the letter is a basic description of who Christ is and how Christ's being (existence) affects you and I. Here is a break down of the first chapter: Who is Jesus Christ? (See verses 15-20): He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. By Him all things were created- in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all spiritual rulers, lords, powers and authorities. Everything was made through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in everything He might be first (preeminent). All the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Jesus, and through Christ all things where reconciled to Himself.  For all things, whether on Earth or in Heaven Christ made peace by the blood of the cross. What has Jesus done for you? (see verses 12-13, 21-22)

“Go on, be a go-getter!” “Good things come to those who wait”. “Be sensitive and tender-hearted” “Be tough and thick-skinned!”. “Successful people do not sleep! They burn the midnight oil” “You need about 8 hours of sleep to be productive”. “Put yourself out there. Grab life by the horns. Go hard!” “Take it easy. One step at a time, Rome was not built in a day”. “Live life to the full and don’t look back” “Take time to reflect, life is  best seen in hindsight”. “Stay hungry” “Be satisfied with what you've got”. It seems to me that there is so much advice out there about how to live life. When presented as a collection of punchy phrases they seem a contradictory bunch, don’t they? The truth is I don’t think anyone really knows the formula to live a happy life. Really, how could we know when we are all having our first go at this? As a lady in her 20s, it’s not unusual that I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what I must do to build

  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord , plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope - Jeremiah 29:11 The verse above is one of the most quoted verses of scripture. Whatever the situation is, whether it be of a worthy or not-so-worthy cause, whether it be ordained by God or not, whether it has passed through intense scrutiny using the scripture as a guideline- whatever the situation is- this passage is often used as encouragement saying, “God’s plans are to give you a future and a hope”. On hearing this, you may take a look into the distance with  your binoculars, but if your green pastures are a successful career, a nice house and being recognised by others, you are missing the true and entire glorious scenery. If you do some research into the use of the word “hope” in the context of the Bible's New Testament, you'd find it is an expectation, certain in outlook, trusting and believing and sure. However, as humans, we kn