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15 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. 16 For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels - everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. 17 He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. 18 And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. 19 So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. 20 Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe - people and things, animals and atoms - get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross. 21 You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. 22 But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. 23 You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message - just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message. 24 I want you to know how glad I am that it's me sitting here in this jail and not you. There's a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world - the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church's part of that suffering. 25 When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God's way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth. 26 This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. 27 God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. 28 We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. (Colossians 1:15-28 The Message)
A blessed Tuesday for you and yours, dear Friend! May the blessings of the Lord shower you with joy and hope! Jesus is the main course for life! And I pray this be a double portion of Him for all you face today and all this week.
If you've ever seen Jesus at work in your life, you have seen God. When we surrendered our lives to Him, we surrendered ourselves to God. As we grow to fully understand Jesus and His purpose, we realize what God intended in everything He created. All things were created by, in, and for Him. And when it comes to His Church, Christ holds it together and organizes all things, for Christ is the Head of the Church. If a church seeks to be in Christ, the church will understand all things. Don't miss what Paul writes, and this from his jail cell, "Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe - people and things, animals, and atoms - get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of His death, HIs blood that poured down from the Cross." Wow. That gives me such hope, that as imperfect and broken that I am at times, Christ is still working on me, and I am in the process of being fixed and put together in Him. I love the next verse (21) that says, like the church in Colossae, we are a case study of what Jesus can do. We are on God's side now, "whole and holy in His presence." And this has been a gift from God to us! What the author said is correct, we don't walk away from a gift like that! We are, or should be, grounded in Christ, walking and trusting Him for all we encounter in our daily lives. There is no other Messiah, no other Christ, but Jesus Himself. Yet we know not all things will be peaches and cream; the world brings with it enough sufferings and sacrifices that we face, but like Christ, we endure what comes along knowing that we have with us the greatest power in the universe. Paul reveals the mystery of the faith; Christ is in you, therefore we look forward to the sharing in God's glory. We live a life that should show Christ to others so that all of us will reach maturity. Paul writes, "To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less." Amen.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, pour out Your blessings on us. Fix those among us who are broken, and for those who seem to be losing pieces of life, mend us back together. Thank You for Jesus and all He continues to do for us. It's in His name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bear light and hope to someone today!
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
