Living a CIA Life:
A Lesson from Colossians

Let’s set the scene. You’re standing in the middle of your life, littered with the daily grind, the aches and groans of being human. Bills to pay, people to please, kids to wrangle, dreams to chase. But over the noise, there’s a voice, ancient and unyielding, calling out through the humdrum and saying, Christ is all. He is everything.

That’s the message of the book of Colossians. Simple words, isn’t it? But those words are dynamite. They’re the kind of truth that blows holes in the walls of your ordinary life and lets in a flood of light so blinding it changes everything.

Paul, the guy who wrote Colossians, wasn’t playing games. In Colossians 1:15-20, he lays it all out like a master storyteller introducing the protagonist. He says Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Everything – everything – was created through him and for him. Thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities? They all bow to him.

That’s the heart of a CIA Life: recognizing that Jesus isn’t just a nice guy who handed out bread and fish, or a wise teacher who said a few quotable things. No, he’s the centerpiece of reality itself. The glue holding the universe together. The King of kings. And if he’s all that, what’s left for you and me to do except hand over the keys to our little kingdoms and let him rule?

Here’s the thing, living a CIA Life means death. I know, it sounds harsh, right? But stick with me. Colossians 3:3 says, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” The old you, the one chasing status, wealth, comfort, control, is buried six feet under. And in its place? A new you. A resurrected you. Where Christ lives in you (Colossians 1:27). That’s the kind of death that leads to life. Quite the paradox isn’t it? It’s about putting to death whatever keeps you from fully belonging to Christ (Colossians 3:5). Because when we’re in Christ, we’re fully alive (John 10:10).

Living a CIA Life isn’t all dramatic conversions and mountaintop moments. Most of it happens in the grind of the everyday. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” To do something “in the name of Jesus” can mean acting with his authority and his character, as his representative. So, whatever you do, do it to show who Christ is. It also can mean doing as if you’re doing for Jesus. As if he were right there with you. I’ve found this immensely beneficial with the ordinary things that fill my life as it simply brings to mind the reality of Christ’s presence with me. And, that changes everything. For when I’m cognizant of his presence even in the dullest of tasks, the time is transformed into a period of blissful connection.

Changing diapers? Do it in the name of Christ. Filing taxes? Do it in the name of Christ. Cooking dinner for your family for the hundredth time this month? You guessed it – do it in the name of Christ. The CIA Life isn’t about escaping the mundane; it’s about infusing the mundane with the life transforming connection we have with the Lord of all lords. He’s always right there with you, waiting to connect.

So, here’s the bottom line: a CIA Life is a life where Christ is your all. Your everything. It’s not just a slogan or a bumper sticker. It’s a life lived with reckless abandon for the One who gave everything for you. So, what do you say? Are you ready to burn the map, hand over the reins, and step into abundant life? Because when Christ is all, there’s nothing left to fear. Nothing left to lose. Just the endless adventure of knowing him more and making him known.