Day 26 - Jesus First and Enough Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:15-23 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. A high school girl heads to her locker, fearful of the note she will probably find there: “You’re fat. You’re ugly.” A businessman goes hesitantly to the mailbox, his heart heavy about bills that will make him think, “I’m a failure. I’ll never get out of debt.” Often the first thing we think in response to our struggles is “If only I had enough friends, or if only I had more money, then Jesus would be enough.” But the message of the gospel is that Jesus is always enough. When Paul wrote these words, Rome had great power. The empire proclaimed that only things connected to Rome mattered. The gospel tells a different story: the crucified Savior, Jesus Christ, makes us “established and firm.” What matters is our connection to him. Jesus, the gospel proclaims, is always first. His death and resurrection rearranged the priorities of history. The Roman Empire lost its sway long ago. The struggles of our daily lives, as difficult and painful as they are now, will someday be history. Yet Jesus will still be over all creation. What are your priorities? In Jesus, the messages of our world are replaced with a new story. We are a new creation. We live “without blemish and free from accusation.” May this saving story be first in your life this year. Be Thou My Vision: https://youtube/watch?v=I8t-sQ8savg Prayer Give us a vision, Father, of the glory of Jesus Christ. Show us the awesome grace of our connection to him by faith. Make the story of his victory first in our lives. Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 14:06:24 +0000
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