November 15, 2023
Praying Friends,
If Christ is not given His rightful place, everything in life will be out of place! Or to put it positively, when Christ is given His rightful place, everything in life will be in its proper place.
Among other things, the book of Colossians gives priority and preeminence to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the eternal Son of God, and in grace He came to where we were to fully reveal His God and fully perform His will. As Paul unraveled certain heresies of his day, he did so by exalting Christ to His deserved place.
As we consider Him today, may our hearts overflow in true, wholehearted worship. I have highlighted 4 things.
When reading Colossians, we learn that Christ is excellent! “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15).
There are no imperfections in Christ. He came from the Father and has perfectly revealed who God is. Every attribute, every action, every articulation, and every attitude was in complete unison with His Father God.
The word “image” here is the Greek word, εἰκών (eikōn) meaning image, likeness, portrait, or copy. He is the flawless, impeccable resemblance of God.
If you desire to know who God is, just look at Jesus!
Secondly, Paul teaches us that Christ is enough! “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority” (Colossians 2:9-10).
Not only is He fully God and fully man, but He has enough resources in Himself to meet all our needs and satisfy us beyond our expectations.
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon of the New Testament says that the word “filled” in this passage means “to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim.” It’s like when a cup is filled to the brim there is no room for anything else, and there is no room for any more.
Christ is enough for you to find enough in Him.
In warning the believers about the false teachers, Paul said that they were “not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God” (Colossians 2:19).
The head and the body are meant to be attached, and when they are, the head is able to supply what the body needs. In the same way, Christ is able to provide for each believer exactly what is needed for each day, for each circumstance, for each personal necessity.
In Chapter 3, Paul emphasizes that Christ is everything! “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11).
In the family of God, we are all on equal footing. Regardless of nationality, background, or status, the only thing that matters is that Christ is everything. He is all and in all. "He is all,” meaning that everything comes from Him, and He is “in all,” meaning He lives inside each one of us.
This means that all that we are and all that we do is attributed to Him. The next verse gives us the outcome of Christ being all and in all: “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12).
By “putting on Christ,” we are able to live in His power, treat others with grace, and glorify Him in our lives.
Lastly, in Chapter 4 we learn that Christ is enduring. This is the final verse in Colossians, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you” (Colossians 4:18).
Whose grace? The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!
His example, His position, His grace, and His strength all continue to endure to inspire and enable the lives of His people. As you consider the lives of those commended in Chapter 4, it is evident they made Christ central in their lives.
There’s Tychicus (verse 7), who was beloved and faithful. There’s Epaphras (verse 12), who was a servant who labored in prayer. There’s Nympha (verse 15), who opened her home to the church. They lived with purpose, and this is how God desires all of us to live.
As you pray for revival and for our prodigals today, do so with the consciousness that Christ has gone before and is able to provide all you need for this day.
Love in Christ,
Bryan and Rachel
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