About six years ago, a sweet friend asked me if I would memorize scripture with her. At the time, I had just read through Colossians 3 and had been impacted by the straightforward, yet hard-hitting, words Paul had written to the church in Colossae, so I suggested we start there. For several months, I worked on memorizing this one chapter and from there, God prompted me to study the whole book and not just for myself, but to put fingers to keyboard and document what He was showing me.

It was this time of writing and studying, with no book deal or publisher pressing for a finished product, no small group waiting for me to present materials, nothing but the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the belief that God had these words for someone – even if only three women read it – that I became challenged to study Biblical Greek, so I could understand these words more deeply without the aid of someone else’s opinion about what the Greek meant. So, I took a two-year break as I soaked in four semesters of Biblical Greek before continuing on in my writing. UpI finished writing this study three years ago.

And I held onto it, unsure if it was “right.” This was my first Bible Study and I felt like it had to be so perfect. I issued it to Beta readers who could give me feedback, so I could make sure it was perfect. And I held onto it. It the meantime, I actually wrote an entirely different study – over the Kingdom of God – over the course of one year. I released that one even as I was writing it, my need for perfection overridden by the urgency of the message. But Colossians was still in waiting.

I gave myself another three months. I would make teaching videos and release it in the spring. I did make the videos, but actually, no, I would release it in the summer – I should have blogs to release with it. Actually, why don’t I see if maybe these words were meant for a younger audience. Maybe I should have some teenagers read through it. So, I did. And then maybe I’ll release it in August. Or September.

And here we are in October, where I sat outside this crisp autumn morning, Bible open, in prayer, remembering this dusty Bible Study. My first “child.” Hidden in files on my computer. And God said, “Do it today.”

Firmly believing that this message to the early church, which speaks to unity and love within the Body of Christ, was a message our church needed, I came up with so many excuses to hold back.

But God is good. And His Word is true. And it’s already perfect. No person should be afraid to approach His Word with an open heart and an open mind. Every believer has the capacity to hear from the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures. My words are nothing special. They are what God revealed to me. If they open your eyes to something you missed, I know that is God’s Holy Spirit at work. If this study does nothing more than prompt you to open the Word and steep yourself in the wisdom and truth found there, regardless of how MY words impact you, it will have served its purpose. The Word of God is intended to bring us closer to Him, in the same way that a love letter makes us long for the author to be near.

This word to the Colossians took such a hold of my heart several years ago that I could not help but dig into it deeply and the further I dug the more this word clung to me. I began to feel an ownership, so that when the word “Colossians” was mentioned, there was a giddiness in my heart, “Oh, Colossians! I know that one!” I sincerely pray that anyone who digs into the truth of this Word would feel the same ownership – the same confidence that they know and understand the message of God to this small body of believers who are so representative of each one of us who came from outside the people of God, drawn in by the testimony and passion of other believers who may not have seen Jesus face-to-face when He walked this Earth but have been so filled with a love for Him that it has paved the way for our own faith journey. This Colossian church needed to hear the truth that they were qualified to follow Christ because they trusted Him. We in the present age still need to hear that truth.

For those who are new to Bible Study, sometimes it can be overwhelming to feel like you’re already behind – like the rest of the church knows all these secrets and is assuming you know them as well. For those who are seasoned at studying the Bible, sometimes these words hit as repetitive platitudes – there’s nothing new under the sun. But for all of us there is value in savoring every word and looking at them with fresh eyes, whether we’ve heard them before or not.

Knowing this, I want you to understand, this study of Colossians is a little intense. There are a lot of deep topics discussed in a short amount of time, so if you choose to undertake it, which I hope you will, please allow yourself some real time alone with God’s Word every day. This is a true study – you will dig in, but you will also be encouraged to approach the Word of God as it was intended to its original audience – a humble body of believers who just wanted to understand what it meant to follow Jesus Christ. The history of the Old Testament and the letters of the New Testament weren’t written to scholars. They were written so the people of God could come closer to understanding the nature of God. Don’t be afraid to draw near.

If you’re ready to dig in, please follow this link to sign up for my e-mail newsletter (even if you’re already a subscriber, you’ll need to do this step). From there, you’ll be taken to the link to download your free PDF.