Colossians
Friday, June 25, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, for some reason I find it easy to drift away from the assurance I received when I heard the Good News. I find it easy to let the cares and concerns of this life weigh me down rather than turning to You. I ask Your forgiveness for not turning to You first at all times. I ask Your forgiveness for wasting too much time “majoring in the minors,” and letting Your great blessings pass me by. Lord, fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit right now, and give me that sense of assurance that, because I am in You everything is, indeed, well in the world around me, whether it feels that way or not. Give me boldness to share the great and incredible news that You love me and love every person and desire only the fullest and most abundant lives possible. 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
What cause you to tend to “drift away” from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
What danger does Paul warn against in today’s focus Scripture? (1:23)
What role does Paul mention as his in today’s Scripture? (1:23)
Understanding God’s Word
Why do you suppose that it is still possible to “drift away” from the assurance we received when we first heard the Good News?
What is the significance of Paul telling the Colossian Christians the role God had given Him?
Applying God’s Word to Our Lives
What does today’s Scripture focus call you to think, say or do right now?
Thoughts...Don't "Drift Away"...
The Apostle Paul warns the Colossian Christians not to “drift away” from the assurance that they had received through knowing Jesus. I’m glad he did! After all, if all the letters Paul wrote indicated that after people received Jesus as their Savior and Lord that they lived their lives perfectly for Him, then I would wonder what was wrong with me. My life has not been perfect, or lived perfectly in Jesus’ name since I first heard the Good News. I have drifted away from time to time, and have needed to draw back to God’s grace and forgiveness daily. Paul exhorts or challenges us NOT to drift away, and helps us to see that it takes intentional effort on our part to live as Christians. Some have told us that once we accept Jesus life will become easy, that we will be blessed with good health, material goods and every good thing. The problem with such teaching is that we can’t find it in Jesus’ teaching, nor in the rest of the New Testament. If the life in Jesus was easy, Paul wouldn’t have needed to warn us not to drift away! Thank God that while living in Jesus’ name is not easy—it is possible by His grace!