Colossians
Thursday, July 8, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for the great truth that when I received Jesus as my Savior and Lord and was “buried” in baptism that You also “raised” me to new life! I know that I will not ultimately be raised from the dead in the literal, physical sense until I die to this life, but I praise You that spiritually I have already been transformed from death to life through Jesus’ death and resurrection! Fill me with Your Holy Spirit afresh that I may live that resurrected life in the Spirit that will demonstrate to others Your great salvation, your great grace and forgiveness and Your great ability to transform death into life. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God's Word For Me Today
Colossians 2:6-15
6And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. 7Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.
8Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ. 9For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, 10and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.
11When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
13You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. 14He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. 15In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.
Reflecting on God’s Word
What do you look forward to the most about being in heaven?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
What does Paul say happens to us when we are baptized? (2:12)
What is the “power source” for this to happen? (2:12)
Understanding God’s Word
What, if anything, does Paul’s analogy about baptism say about who ought to be baptized?
What is the evidence of the new life of Jesus within us?
Applying God’s Word to Our Lives
What one thing will you do today to demonstrate the new life you have in Jesus?
Thoughts...Buried with Christ...
The Apostle Paul uses a vivid image of what takes place when we are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—we are “buried with Christ.” Just as Jesus was buried in Joseph’s tomb for three days, we are “buried” under the water of baptism and “raised” to new life. The symbolism is vivid and amazing! In fact, Paul makes it clear that after our baptism there is to be a difference not only in our actions, but in our very being. We are eternal beings from that moment on. Of course, it is not baptism that makes the difference—it’s Jesus and the mighty power of God that raised Him from the dead! As we live in that power—the power of the Holy Spirit—more and more each day, the old nature, the sinful nature is “cut away” as we spoke of yesterday, and we live more and more like Jesus, because He becomes more and more alive in us! As we go about this day, let’s remember that we have been baptized and “buried” with Jesus Christ, so that we can live resurrection lives right now and also for eternity! Amen.