2018-03-09
Good Morning Dear Ones,
It’s necessary for me to repeat some of the points already made, so that we may see them in the context of Who Christ is and what we receive from Him as believers. But, nothing we do to be edified about God and have our faith in Him strengthened is a waste of time. COL 1:12-14 tells us that He reserved for His people rescue from the power of darkness and has brought us safely into His Kingdom of light, that of His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ sets us free by granting us eternal forgiveness for our sins. We learn even more about Christ’s nature in COL 1: 15-20. He is the visible image of the invisible God, the First- born of all Creation superior to all created things. God used His Son to do the work of Creation in heaven and on earth, seen and unseen. It was God’s decision to create all things by Him, for Him, and through Him. Christ existed before all things, and in union with Him, all things have their proper place. Christ is the Head of the body, His church and is the Source of all life. He was raised from death, as the First-born Son, so that He might have the first place in all things. By God’s decision, Christ has in Himself God’s full nature. It is through the Son, that God decided to bring the whole universe back to Himself. Through Christ’s blood sacrificed on the cross, eternal forgiveness of sin, justification, and salvation are made possible for all things on earth and in heaven.
This reconciliation with God is part of the greatest blessing that we, as believers in Him, can have. Initially, we may not grasp the full impact of such a blessing on our earthly lives, but believe me, it is real and wonderful. It is also eternal, meaning that when we believe in Christ, we will not only have our earthly lives, but will forever live in blissful fellowship with our God. Because we live forever, while we must all suffer physical death, believers can never suffer spiritual death. The latter is the fate of the condemned. Condemnation results from serial sinfulness, rejection of God, and lack of contrition. The condemned will experience hell, which is defined as torment, which is eternal and from which there is no escape. This is what is referred to at times as “Gehenna.”
The other part of what I think are the greatest blessings is God’s mystery (now revealed and found in COL 1: 26-27 and COL 2: 2-3). That is access to His wisdom and knowledge given to believers in Christ. The hope of glory and God’s direction on how to please Him are found in His word. How can we not love COL 2: 20 and 3: 3-4, which remind us of this blessing? “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ, and when He appears, then you too will appear with Him and share His glory.” Our real faith in Christ brings us so much comfort and peace!
These blessings are not held back from those who believe in Christ. There is no group of people, except those who serially sin and reject Him, who can’t qualify for them. God loves all His children equally, regardless of gender, economic station, education, nationality, or any other criteria used by humans to separate themselves. It wouldn’t make sense for our generous God, Who didn’t even hold back His Son from the cross, to make these earthly distinctions or hold back His blessings from His children [GN 22: 15-18; JN 3: 16]. Any one, Jew or Gentile, Who believes in God will be eternally blessed.
PRAYER: O Lord, You are our Jehovah Rapha, our God Who Provides for our needs. Our greatest needs are to receive eternal forgiveness for our sins, be considered acceptable to You, and to live a life of eternal fellowship and bliss with You in heaven. Our faith in God [Christ-Who is God’s second personality] is what gives us this comfort and peace. You have reconciled us to Yourself and made us Your friends [RO 5: 9-11] through Christ. We were created to joyfully obey Your commands, so that this eternal life is possible. While it isn’t always easy for us to be obedient and to acknowledge Christ’s supremacy in all things. You have assured us that all Your commands are designed to be in our best eternal interests. We must learn to think in eternal terms, rather than just earthly ones. You also want us to think FIRST about Your will and the consequences of our thoughts, decisions, and action. We believe that true and lasting happiness is found by our faith in Christ and making Him the Leader of our lives. You have given us Your word, without holding back any of it’s beauty or wisdom. We can fall in love with Your word, appreciating its value for us. This prayer is meant to acknowledge Your generosity, Your Son’s supremacy in all things, and Your position as First in our lives. We thank and praise You with all our hearts. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: As can be seen, today’s devotion was a reminder of all the didactics and wisdom found in COL 1 and other places in the Scriptures. Next week, using the same perspective of Christ’s nature and the blessings given to believers in Him, we will review COL 2, and, if space permits, COL 3. For such a short book of the NT, COL sure gives us a lot of useful wisdom. We have been created to be able to use what we learn to fulfill our purpose, which is pleasing God and being obedient to Him. I truly believe that I came through the huge abdominal surgery I had 12 years ago, because God wanted me to continue serving Him. This doesn’t make me special or more important than anyone else. It is a constant reminder that He holds me to a high standard. My work is to influence as many people as possible for Him by sharing the faith He has given me. What is the condition of my faith? How has God asked me to serve Him? Am I introspective, looking at how obedient to God’s commands I am? How open and honest am I being with God? These questions are the same questions that all of us must answer in our conversations with God. That’s why they’re here, and each of us must answer them for himself. I can attest to you that God is patient, loving, kind, and remarkably gracious with us. That has been my experience with Him. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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