Long Lists

Col.2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ."

Santa
Such a fun tradition...
such a benevolent fellow...
if you behave yourself!
There's always the threat of coal.

But God is not like Santa Clause...
Yes,
He knows when you've been sleeping
He knows when you're awake
But
He knows He must crush bad for good
He IS good
For Heaven's sake!

All this fussing about the long list of who's been naughty or nice.
God made a way to erase your name from the list of crimes and punishment. "Love keeps no record of wrongs..." 1 Cor. 13:5
He made a way to write your name on a longer list in
The Book of Life.
His greatest reward
is bestowed in unconditional love.
It is
a gift.
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Mt. 1:21

It's a week before Christmas. I'm still reconfiguring my living room and the tree is not decorated. The gifts are piled up...waiting to be opened and enjoyed. God is also making things ready. His gifts are waiting to be opened and enjoyed, but we have a death grip on our lump of coal. It's hard, it's dirty and we don't even have a match to make it useful. So, God lights it up. He burns it away so we will be rid of it. Sometimes we get scalded in the process because it's so hard to let go!
This is how I've come to see sin. We turn away from Him and all the good He offers us, while the fingers of our soul reach and wrap around things that offer us nothing. We despise Him for the burning pain...
and are blinded to the hope His "severe mercy" secures...

"They say of some temporal suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. This is the ultimate defeat of evil and suffering. It will not only be ended but so radically vanquished that what has happened will only serve to make our future life and joy infinitely greater.” Tim Keller quoting C.S. Lewis

Col. 2:9 "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority...

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 (having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us- NASV),  which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. "