Colossians 2:3 (NKJV): In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
The word ‘all’ here in Greek is ‘pas’, which means ‘all, every, any, the whole, whatsoever, thoroughly’. I love to confess this verse often, personalizing it this way: “In Christ, I have all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge!”Amen! Do you know in what context did Paul write this verse? Colossians 2:4 has the answer. It says, ‘Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words…’ Colossians 2:8 then says, ‘…lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world (i.e. worldly ways)’.
How do you like the feeling of being cheated? Many years ago, a good friend of mine (who’s new in a city) went to its street market to buy some apples. Anyone would have known he’s not a local, judging by his dialect. Naive and innocent looking he was, that means he became 'easy prey' to some advantage-takers! Having chosen the good apples, he paid happily. But when he got home, he found out most of the apples he bought were rotten ones! The seller had probably very skillfully and quickly changed his packet without him noticing it. He went back to the street market only to find the stall was gone! Of course, today, we can just laugh about it over a cup of tea.
On a more serious note, just flip the pages in the newspaper, and you'll see anything can happen in the world nowadays. People would think of all kinds of ways to deceive. I heard of this recently: An innocent looking child came crying to an unsuspecting lady, and then gave her a piece of paper with an address on it. This child ‘supposedly’ was lost, and ‘supposedly’ could not find his parents. But, when this unsuspecting lady brought the child to the address given, she in turn got robbed and raped!
This is a dangerous world we live in today, but fear not, for there’s one sure protection for you as believers, and it is found in Christ! Colossians 2:3 says ‘in Him is all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’. 'All' here really means 'all, every, any,...' God can protect you from every kind of fraud, cheating, manipulation, trickery, subtlety, and even ulterior motive! Yes, whether in the real world or in the cyber world! Not only that, in Christ, you also receive His wisdom and discernment to make the right decisions in your business, career, or ministry, i.e. to know who you should deal with and who you should not, who to associate with, who to work with, who to entrust, or even who you should recruit! Open your ‘spiritual ears’ to listen to His Spirit!
Let’s look at Peter now. One of the earliest situations Peter faced upon receiving the enabling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4) was to face deceitful people. But God was with Peter. When a certain man named Ananias lied to him about the proceeds from the sale of a possession, Peter said, “Ananias, why has satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?” (Acts 5:3) Peter was 'discerning' enough in his spirit to discern a lie (or wrong intention). Holy Spirit was definitely working in him, through him, and for him!
Not long before that, the rulers, elders, scribes, as well as the high priest and his family were also marveled at the wisdom and boldness of speech in Peter! They probably had wondered, “Isn’t this guy uneducated and untrained? How could he suddenly become so wise?” And that’s when they realized Peter had been with Jesus! (Acts 4:13) You see? Jesus is the source of all wisdom and knowledge, and He, of course, is also the Word (John 1:14). The Bible also says, ‘Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit…’ (Acts 4:8) See again? Word & Spirit! Spirit & Word! You have Him (& His Word and His Spirit), you have everything!
People of God, the good news is you can also be just as wise and discerning as Peter, because you are also in Christ, and you also have His Spirit! The same God who worked in, through, and for Peter is also now working in, through, and for you! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! (Hebrews 13:8) Believe and receive wisdom and discernment in every situation of yours today. Open your 'gates' (heart and mind) to His 'floodgates', and see how He begins to work wonders for you today. In Jesus' name. Amen!
