Colossians {Day 10}

Yesterday, we started into Paul's hymn in praise of Jesus, verses 15-20 of Colossians 1.  This morning as I pondered how we should think about this passage, I had these thoughts that I want to share with you.

In passages of Scripture like this, we are invited to think about BIG things: who Jesus is, what His nature is, what He came for, what His position is over creation.  These are wonderful thoughts!  But it can be challenging to connect these wonderful things to day-to-day life.  Is it worth it to spend time in passages like this one?

The answer is YES!

Here's why.  The more we know about who God is, how He loves us, and how He interacts with His people, the more solid our foundation becomes.  We cannot spend our days only thinking high and lofty thoughts about God, but our days are different when our foundation is that very high and lofty God Himself.  When we're confident God is who He says He is, we believe that what He says about us is also true: we belong to Him; His Spirit dwells in us; He empowers us to life and godliness.  If we march too quickly from Him to the "Thou Shalts" and the "Thou Shalt Nots," our confidence will crumble, because the necessary foundation has not been laid.  Life will get in the way, trials will come, sin will threaten to destroy us, but if our confidence, hope, life, joy, peace, and all that other good stuff find their root in Christ, we will not be shaken.  (I do hope this is making sense, perhaps we'll touch on this theme again soon and I'll be having a more eloquent day!)

So, when we read verse 16,

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

we're pulled into a place of wonder and worship!  THIS is Jesus: creator and authority over all creation.  Combine that with what we know of the Gospel from the rest of Scripture, and we have to lift our jaws off the floor.  All things were created by Jesus and for Jesus,  yet he humbled Himself, became a man, and died on a cross for sinners who (most certainly) did not deserve a rescue.  It is upon this solid rock, as the hymn says, that we stand.  All other ground is sinking sand.  We are not wasting time AT ALL, plugging verse by verse through this paragraph about Jesus, are we?  Could we ever really spend enough time considering these truths?

I pray that in coming weeks, as we move into later chapters of Colossians and study more "practical" things (rules to live by in the church and family) that these truths about Christ will always in the back of our minds.  For it is unto Him that we live, and it is to Him that we belong - and that not as slaves, but as brothers.

Have a blessed Sunday.  We're enjoying some lovely weather here in Pittsburgh!  See you on Monday.