In Colossians 1:25 Paul says that God has given him a specific mission: “to present to you the word of God in its fullness…” 

This important theme comes up elsewhere too. When speaking to the elders of Ephesus he said: “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God” (Acts 20:27).

That’s something for all of us to think about. When it comes to the word of God, do we seek to understand and apply all of it, or only those parts we already like?

The temptation is real. As a pastor—and even as the author of this devotional—I know that there are some topics which will rub people the wrong way because they are unpopular. If I talk about sin, repentance, judgement, God’s plan for marriage, the importance of consistently being in worship, the reality of the demonic and spiritual warfare, or even the exclusive nature of Christ’s claims, I’m going to hear about it or see a bunch of people unsubscribe.

At the same time, when I teach or write about servanthood, forgiveness, mercy, heaven, simplifying life, setting priorities, loving neighbours, and the importance of rest, people are going to say nice things and forward it to their friends. 

Notice how all of those topics are discussed in the Bible, not just some of them.

Let’s turn the attention to you.

Are there topics you tend to avoid? Are there topics you don’t research or ask about because you don’t want to know what Jesus said about it? Is status-quo King in your life?

Listen to what Paul says in Galatians 1:10: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Wow, that’s good. If we are servants, we had better be clear about who our Master is.

Granted, there are times when we pray, study and talk to others about a subject and still aren’t sure what the right answer is. Fair enough. The goal is to be committed to God’s will through his word, to make an honest effort, and to keep growing in love.

But if you’re never willing to change your mind about something because of the word of God, you may simply be following yourself.

I learn a lot about myself based on the topics I’m most comfortable with and those I’m tempted to keep quiet about. But at the end of the day, the aim is for Christ-likeness, not Matthew-likeness.

Paul sought to present God’s word “in its fullness.” As modern disciples, let’s caution against partialness, and strive for fullness as well.

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Notes:

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.