Preparing for Christmas Advent Devotional 15
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Colossians 1
Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To the saints and faithful brothers[a] in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.[b] He is a faithful minister of Christ on your[c] behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks[d] to the Father, who has qualified you[e] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Preeminence of Christ 

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation[g] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Paul's Ministry to the Church

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

 

Who Is Jesus?
Denise Ellis

I was born and raised in a Christian home by two godly parents, who were in full-time ministry. I knew all about the Bible there was to know, I thought. After all, I could tell you most of the Bible stories and how to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

I accepted Christ at a young age and I “grew spiritually” by the way I lived. I knew I was a sinner, and I needed Jesus as my Savior, but I didn’t really know details about Him.

At a very hard season in my life, I started making choices for me.  Because “life was hard”, I decided to live in a way that brought me comfort, happiness, pleasure, and peace. BUT the results were the opposite. Of course, I wondered, “where is God in all of this?” (He was there all the time). I was the one who pulled away. My lack of understanding and unhappiness brought me to my knees and into the Scriptures. My time there was such a blessing, and a true time of growth, I wouldn’t trade the heartache that brought me there for anything. As I studied the Bible, in its true form and focused on the Lord, and His attributes, characteristics and promises, it has helped me to know, love and understand Him more. This has had a big impact on my spiritual life!

Today’s scripture is a prime example of the attributes of who Jesus is.  Colossians may be a small book, but it is a “F. A. T”. book, meaning: “Full of Applicable Truths”.

There is so much in chapter 1, but I will focus on verse 15-20. These verses focus on Jesus and who He is.
V15:  He is the image of the invisible
God.
He is the firstborn (title/role)
over all creation.
V16:  He is the creator; made all
things for His glory.
V17:  He is Supreme -superior to
to everything.
He is the Sustainer of us and
all things.
V18:  He is the Head of the Church
He is the beginning
He is the firstborn from the
dead-all others will follow.
V19:  He is God-He became man to
save us.
He is first place in everything
V20:  He is our Savior

It is truly amazing that Jesus Christ, the creator, sustainer, over all things, etc., left heaven to become a baby. Grew up to become a man and take the burden of the sins of the world on the cross. Died and rose again. He is more than the little baby with tiny hands and feet lying in a manger. He is the image of our invisible God, the firstborn from the dead, and now has reconciled all things to Himself.

Thanks, Lord.

Are you reaping the benefits of knowing the Lord more? Here are just a few benefits:

  • It brings a dependence on Him, as we watch Him work.
  • It strengthens our faith/hope in Him, as we learn His plan is best.
  • It encourages our worship of Him, as we understand and know Him more.
  • It deepens our relationship with Him, as we grow spiritually, with the knowledge of His Word.

Thank You Jesus!

  1. How do the truths about Jesus in Colossians 1 encourage you in hard times?
  2. Colossians talks about Christ being first. What are some things that compete with Jesus in your life, and how is Jesus better than those things?
  3. How does the way Jesus is going to present you (verse 22) give you hope as you wrestle with sin?

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Son Jesus Christ Who is over all. Thank you for reconciling us with you by His blood. I confess right now I'm not where I want to be. I am thankful though that isn't the end of the story. Please remind me this Christmas season how You have worked for me this year, and how You will work for me next year so that I can be presented holy and blameless because of Your Son. Amen.

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