The Bible is God’s Instruction Manual to give us wisdom and instructions for life; and the Gospel Message shows us the way home…
Today we will be examining Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
Colossians 1:1-29
Paul’s letter to the Colossians was possibly the first of Paul’s prison epistles.
The church at Colosse was not founded nor visited by Paul, but was probably founded by Epaphras.
The letter was written to encourage a group of believers who were growing spiritually.
The letter was also written to warn a group of believers who were being confronted with false teaching, which undermined the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus.
From Max Lucado
In chapter 1, in summary Paul tells the Colossian believers:
“Hello, Colossians,
Timothy and I are pleased to hear from Epaphras that the gospel which is growing all over the world is bearing fruit in your lives as well.
Because of this, we constantly pray that you stay focused on God’s will so that your lives will be pleasing to Him.
Remember that Jesus, our Creator and Reconciler, deserves absolute supremacy in absolutely everything.
I endure suffering and hard work on behalf of Jesus and His church to bring believers to maturity.”
In this letter, Paul gives tribute to the power and glory of Christ.
While commending the Colossians for their actions, he reminded them that Christ’s power comes not from what we know, but who we know—Jesus Christ.
God provides salvation for anyone who will take it.
God doesn’t require that we know hidden secrets or certain inside information to accept Christ’s message and enjoy eternal life.
When God chose to reveal Himself, He did so (surprise of surprises) through a human body.
The tongue that called forth the dead was a human one.
The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails.
The feet upon which the woman wept were calloused and dusty. And His tears . . . oh, don’t miss the tears . . . they came from a heart as broken as yours or mine ever has been.
So, people came to Him. My, how they came to Him!
They came at night; they touched Him as He walked down the street; they followed Him around the sea; they invited Him into their homes and placed their children at His feet.
Why? Because He refused to be a statue in a cathedral or a priest in an elevated pulpit.
He chose instead to be Jesus. . . .
There were those who revered Him. But there was not one person who considered Him too holy, too divine, or too celestial to touch.
There was not one person who was reluctant to approach Him for fear of being rejected.
Remember. It is man who creates the distance.
It is Jesus who builds the bridge.
(From God Came Near by Max Lucado)
Christianity is all about our having a relationship with the Source and Author of our life; it’s about knowing Jesus and serving Him intimately and personally; it’s about our submission and obedience to Him and facilitating His will in the Earth as it is in Heaven.
Jesus is the only One who has the power to recycle men and women’s lives and make all things new!
SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
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Tuesday, Dec 5
The Spirit Filled Believer
by Dick Mills
A NEW SONG
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love”
— Colossians 1:13
In the Greek, this word is translated as methistemi (meth-is’- tay-mee) meaning “to transpose, transfer, remove from one place to another.”
Our conversion literally lifted us out of the quicksand of sin and placed us on the solid rock of truth.
One of the most impressive features of this translation from darkness to light is the suddenness of it all.
I remember a testimony I heard in a Christian drug recovery unit.
The young man was 26 years old. For 13 of those years, or half his life, he had been a heroin addict.
Now he was an outstanding leader in the drug program.
He was giving his testimony to a narcotics agent who seemingly could not comprehend the translation from addiction to deliverance.
The officer asked him, “How long did all this take?”
The answer came back, “It only took about two minutes.
When Jesus came in, the drugs went out.”
We cannot argue a person into change.
We cannot nag, harangue, pressure, or even manipulate anybody into a transformation of his whole life.
The good news is that Jesus is still translating thousands of lives every day.
Every time a new convert comes into the kingdom of God, a genuine translation takes place.
Another word for translate is transpose.
In music to transpose is “to change to another key.”
Before salvation we were in a minor key and our life’s song was a sad one.
Now we are in a major key and our song is one of joy.
The transposing of our life gives us a different tune to sing!
The Bible calls it a new song! (Rev. 5:9).
Source: The Spirit-Filled Believer’s Daily Devotional by Dick Mills
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