2017-01-13
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I’m writing to you from our new home, 1200 miles from where we lived for 27 years. My husband and I are here at the behest of the Holy Spirit, and I now serve a new congregation of 1000 souls. Last week’s devotion left off with a discussion of COL 1: 15-17, part of one of the best descriptions of Who Jesus is in the Scriptures. Now, let’s take a closer look at the rest of this description found in COL 1: 18-20. “And 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 supremacy. (19) For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him and (20) through Him reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood shed on the cross.” It helps to clarify some terms used in this passage.
The metaphor of a human body is often used in the NT, especially in places like RO 12: 4-6 to indicate a belonging of one of us to another and all of us to Jesus. In the metaphor, Jesus is the brain, the head which directs all the other parts of the body. Each part needs to the job for which it was created for the good of the whole. Because Jesus was created first, He is intended by God to be supreme over the body. In the case of COL 1: 20, it is made clear that He is supreme over all the inhabitants of both earth and heaven. Folks often struggle with what is meant in (19) by “the fullness of God” dwelling in Jesus. What this means is the totality of God, all His powers and attributes. This has to make sense, when one realizes that Jesus is the second personality of the One and only God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Verse 20 brings us to an overarching truth about Jesus. It is that through His blood shed on the cross and our faith in Him, we, who are all sinners in need of the glory of God, are reconciled to our Deity. Reconciliation with God means being at peace with Him.
I recently joined a Bible study with some other women, one of whom shares my traditionally Jewish background and is now a Messianic Jew, having accepted Christ as her personal Savior. I told the others that we as believers in Christ (our Lord Yeshua), that we are living in the covenant. Explaining my assertion, I went on to say that God has promised to move us forward in our spiritual maturity (sanctifying us) in preparation for eventual glorification (that time when God deems we are ready to join Him for a blissful and eternal fellowship with Him in heaven). To seal His promise, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in our souls and guide us through all our earthly challenges. In EPH 1: 13-14, we learn that God has put His stamp of ownership on us, sending us the Holy Spirit, Who is a “Deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory.” Why shouldn’t we waste one drop of the blood He shed for us? It is because all we must do to live the covenant is to learn His word, obey it, and put Him at the very center of our lives. That’s a small price to pay for a huge blessing that is eternal! While it won’t be easy, because of our basically sinful natures, it is certainly worth the effort!
PRAYER: O Lord, You are so kind and thorough in allowing us to better know Who Jesus Christ really is. And still we have so much to learn. Make us teachable and open our hearts to Your Holy Spirit. Make us like Your prophet, Isaiah, so that we may conform to IS 50: 4, “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” Our hope is that the rebellion of our sinfulness will fall away to be replaced by hearts open to God’s teaching and our lives changed to have peace with Him. In covenant living, our agenda conforms to Yours, Your enemies are our enemies. As Jesus promised in JN 15: 13-15, that He is willing to give His life for those who are His friends. He is also willing not to hold back anything God teaches Him from us. That is the essence of real friendship and peace with God. Dearest Lord, give us the willingness to go against the strong desires of our bodies, so that we may grow in our maturity spiritually and come closer to You. Show us that we can listen to Your commands and obey them for the good, not only of ourselves, but also those whom we impact. You are a kind, generous, and wise God, and we praise and thank You forever. In the holy name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit commands that I review the main attributes and deeds of Christ mentioned in COL 1: 15-20 and that we begin an examination of COL 1: 21-23, 24-29 (Paul’s labor for the church). There are many times when we don’t know all the details of the purpose the Holy Spirit has for His commands to us. However, we do know that if we obey them, our personal growth will be forwarded. I’m reminded that the Lord wants us to consider things in the eternal sense, instead of just the earthly sense. There is a reason for this, which is tied to the two purposes He has for our lives. 1) Our immediate purpose is the learn His word and discover the talents He has given us to use for His work on earth. 2) Our cosmic purpose, the one we usually can’t know ahead, except that it is tied with the legacy we leave for future generations after our physical death (our “promotion” to His side in heaven). With this to consider, how blessed we are that He wants us to know the Lord Jesus so well! Turning to the Lord for direction is the very best help we have when faced with the challenges and the crossroads of our earthly lives. Praise and thanks be to Him forever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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