2017-01-20
Good Morning Dear Ones,
In accordance with what I was commanded by the Holy Spirit to write, it is necessary for a quick review of Christ’s attributes, as mentioned in COL 1: 15-20. We have already found that the nature of the Trinity is that we have One God with three personalities, the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Each personality has a different main function. Jesus Christ, God’s second personality, came to earth in a form that mankind could perceive, but that made Him no less than God. God, the Father, cannot be seen, but we know He exists from what He ordains and by His position as Creator. We are told that Christ is the Firstborn of all creation. As such, He is superior over all humans that follow and is the Head of the body (the church). The fullness of God is in Him, and that pleases God. It is through confession of sin and faith in Christ, that Christ reconciles people to God. Christ did this reconciliation through His blood shed on the cross.
Now, it’s time to continue with our examination of the book of Colossians. The setting is Paul writing to the Colossians while under arrest in Rome, and his message being delivered by Epaphras, a fellow servant of God. The believer is presented to God by Christ’s blood shed as without blemish and free from accusation. Certainly, this does not mean we can’t sin, but instead it means we are eternally forgiven from the original sin and sins of the past. Real faith can’t be cancelled or us separated from the love of God [RO 8: 38-39]. Christ’s physical death on the cross has profound effect and cancels the evil done by Satan (whose name means “accuser”). We who believe are still sinners, and we must take responsibility for sins we commit. However, forgiveness for confessed and stopped sin is often possible [COL 3: 13]. Our just and fair God adjudicates each case on its own merits.
COL 1: 24-29 deals with Paul’s labor for the church. One measure of God’s enormous power is the conversion of Saul of Tarsus to the servant of God we call Paul. He was born to traditionally Jewish parents and educated as such. In his youth, Saul became a persecutor of Jewish Christians working for the Jewish ruling Council (the Sandhedrin). The story of his conversion to faith in Christ can be read in AC 7: 58-8:1 and AC 9: 1-6. Paul writes of being commissioned as a servant of God to present God’s word in its fullness. He mentions, in COL 1: 25, the mystery of God, which had heretofore been a long-kept secret. This mystery, which is Christ in us and the revelation of the wisdom and knowledge of God’s teaching, is very much in keeping with JN 15: 13-17 and RO 6: 11, which I hope you will read. The mystery itself is also described in COL 1: 26-27 and 2: 2-3. Paul spoke of this work as having all His energy powerfully at work in him. (I would call this the will of the Holy Spirit being obeyed with gusto). This doesn’t mean that Paul’s work came easily. Most of us know he went through a lot for the church, and he reveals some of what he went through in 2 COR 5: 3-6 and 2 COR 11: 22-33. Paul, in COL 2: 5, praises the Colossians and inhabitants of Hierapolis and Laodicea for their orderliness and strength of faith. As this week lays out, we are to evaluate and improve our own individual and congregational faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.
PRAYER: O Most Heavenly Lord, the apostle, Paul, gave us a dedicated example of approach to our tasks for You. He endured much on behalf of His faith in You, and we believe he is honored in heaven for it. We come to Your mighty throne today to ask for the help only You, through the Holy Spirit, can give us. We need to make an honest appraisal of the state of our faith in and obedience to You.
We admit openly that we are flawed and are sinners. We are in need of Your guidance and self-discipline in following Your teaching. It is often painful to examine our faults, but we know it is necessary. Help us to better understand Your will and to follow it in the conduct of our daily lives. PS 145: 18-19 gives us hope. “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cries and saves them.” Anyone who has lived on earth for any length of time encounters trials, disappointments, illnesses, and losses. These are tough for us, and Your mighty strength and leadership is needed to get through them. PS 40: 1-2, “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a Rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” That Rock is our Lord Jesus, Who loves and guides us to compliance with Your will. We thank and praise You for sending Him to minister to us, die on the cross for us, and open eternal forgiveness, sanctification, and the blessings of heaven to us. We bow to You in utter reverence and awe. This prayer is being said in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit commands me to write about how faith in Christ frees us from human regulations set up by false teachers, heretics, and others with evil motives. These things are covered in COL 2: 8-23. I always look forward to this last paragraph, because I get to express things on my mind that are current. We have come through one of the most mean-spirited political campaigns for the presidency of the USA I’ve ever experienced. The divisions in our country have never more been exposed. And yet, both the president -elect, our out-going president, and many leaders have begged people to let the country heal and remember that despite our differences, we are all Americans. It’s hard not to mention a political issue like this, that does involve individual ethical decisions, even though this is a devotion dedicated to our Lord Jesus Christ. But we must be in prayer for America and be urged to treat each other with the love of Christ. Our political, demographic, and other differences are not more important that the health of our country’s future. So, I am closing this devotion with a plea to be in prayer and to consider the big picture. Bishop T.D. Jakes, a man for whom we can have great respect, has been making the same requests as I do on his daily TV program. We have too much to lose if we ignore this urging!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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