Let’s think about how we use the word “heart.” We talk about sad hearts, merry hearts, lonely hearts, hearts of gold, heart throbs, heart breakers, Lots of things are matters of the heart like decisions – we’ll say, Let your heart lead you.” Relationships – whether they’re good or not so good- are matters of the heart. We talk about getting to the heart of the matter…

Our heart is the very essence of who we are. It has a great effect on what we do.

 

This spring our theme will be “Captivate our Hearts” – it says in Colossians “See to it no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” 2:8…(NAS)

Allowing God to captivate our hearts according to His word is really the antidote to the philosophy and empty deception of the world and the traditions of men.

In this scripture “to take captive” means to lead away as booty like an invading army does when they take things (loot) or people from a conquered land. It can also mean” to seduce” like when someone draws away another person by enticing them – drawing them away from certain principles or faith or allegiance.

So Paul warns us in Colossians that philosophy and empty deception based on tradition of men and the principles of this world can seduce or lead us away…we can be enticed by these things allowing us to be the spoils of a war– a war for our souls - our very hearts. Paul says don’t get captured by these things…don’t be seduced by the wisdom of the world or the ways of man.

 

So what’s our choice? Could it be that we could yield to God captivating our hearts with His ways and wisdom? God would like to captivate us with all that He is!

The word captivate in the regular old dictionary means to be enthralled by beauty or excellence. It’s not a negative, but a positive. God would love to capture our attention, our love with who He is – with his beauty, his excellence. To be captivated by Jesus is to be held in a positive way - not imprisoned, but free because of His love and grace.

How we need to be captivated by the heart of Jesus.

 

That God could captivate our hearts, allowing us to set our eyes on Him - filling our hearts with thanksgiving, the knowledge of his will, with his wisdom, his preeminence, his holiness…and the list goes on as related to us through Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Paul does not focus on the lies the people in Colossae are believing, but the principles of God’s kingdom and the truths about who God is.

 

Paul clearly states his purpose in writing and in serving the Colossian Church and other churches surrounding them that he had no contact with before. Much like this letter is written to us, without ever meeting Paul personally.

Colossians 2: 2 states, “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Paul wants to encourage their hearts and unite them in love. What a noble cause! Through the love and grace of God, Paul through these words inspired by God in this letter, would be used as a tool to accomplish that work. And his letter is written so that our hearts would also be– encouraged and united.

The mystery that we need to understand is three fold:

1.    The mystery is who Christ is

2.    The mystery to be uncovered is that the treasures of all wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ.

3.    The mystery is Christ in you is the hope of glory!!! The hope of God being seen and known in this world is made possible by the living presence of God within each of our hearts. Do you know about that mystery?

 

Bottom line – if you don’t know Jesus you can find Him in these scriptures as he captivates your heart with His love and comes to live within you.

Or maybe you know him and need to re-connect with his power and presence, his wisdom and his love, allowing God to encourage and unite our hearts!!

Let Jesus captivate you heart through the His Word, as we study Colossians together.

 

United…encouraged…captivated ….by Jesus.