Colossians
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, there is no greater gift in life, than the gift of Your Son, Jesus’ precious blood poured out on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin, and for the sin of the world! I thank and praise You that when there was no way for reconciliation to take place between You and us, that You made the way through Jesus. Again, I thank and praise You for sending Jesus not only to die, but also to live here among us for more than thirty years, to show us exactly what You expect of those who belong to You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit this day that I may live out my salvation in practical ways in my community today. All this I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God's Word For Me Today
Colossians 1:15-23
15Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. 16Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. 17He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.
18Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything. 19For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. 21This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, 22yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. 23But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed by God to proclaim it.
Reflecting on God’s Word
When you think of the blood of Jesus, what comes to mind for you?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
What does today’s Scripture tell us about Jesus relationship to/as God? (1:19-20)
What does today’s Scripture tell us that Jesus did for us? (1:19-20)
Understanding God’s Word
What do we find out about God in today’s Scripture?
What does it mean that Jesus made peace with everything by means of His blood on the cross
Applying God’s Word to Our Lives
What is one thing you will do as a result of having read today’s Scripture?
Thoughts...God in All His Fullness...
The Apostle Paul continues to make His case that Jesus is God in today’s focus Scripture. Of course all the verses we are reading individually or a couple at a time this week make up one extended description of who Jesus is, and Paul leaves no doubt: Jesus is God. Today we’re told that God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Jesus. Now, does this mean that God is not Jesus? After all, it says that God in all His fullness lived “in” Jesus. Doesn’t that mean there are two different “gods”? Not at all! God, the Father, and Jesus ARE distinct aspects of one being. HOW that is so, is far beyond our puny abilities to comprehend, but that it is so is beyond dispute given the many New Testament Scriptures, which support the divinity of Jesus, and as this one makes it clear that God and Jesus are one. The Holy Spirit is also God as other Scriptures make clear. While the concept of the “Trinity” is not mentioned by name in the Bible, the reality of it is seen in Jesus’ teachings as well as the rest of the New Testament. How incredibly gracious of God to be pleased to live in Jesus, that we can Know Him more fully!