Read Colossians 1:15-28

Wednesday

Read Colossians 1:15-28

15 Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the firstborn Son, superior to all created things. ¹⁶For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. ¹⁷Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place. ¹⁸He is the head of his body, the church; he is the source of the body’s life. He is the firstborn Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things. ¹⁹For it was by God’s own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God. ²⁰Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son’s blood^c on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.

21 At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. ²²But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence. ²³You must, of course, continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation, and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the gospel. It is of this gospel that I, Paul, became a servant—this gospel which has been preached to everybody in the world.

24 And now I am happy about my sufferings for you, for by means of my physical sufferings I am helping to complete what still remains of Christ’s sufferings on behalf of his body, the church. ²⁵And I have been made a servant of the church by God, who gave me this task to perform for your good. It is the task of fully proclaiming his message, ²⁶which is the secret he hid through all past ages from all the human race but has now revealed to his people. ²⁷God’s plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God. ²⁸So we preach Christ to everyone. With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature individual in union with Christ.

Think

Often when we read the gospels Jesus is so familiar and friendly that we forget who he is.  Colossians 1:15-20 should help us to gain a more complete understanding of who is speaking to us.

Paul speaks about the task of preaching about Christ, telling everybody this good news; in the hope of bringing 'each one into God's presence as a mature individual in union with Christ.' - 28

Pray

I long to be 'a mature individual in union with Christ.' (vs 28). I want to know the secret that 'Christ is in me' (vs 27).  I need your Spirit's wisdom and help.