Skip to main content

Colossians 1:15‭-‬18‭, ‬18‭-‬23 (The Message) Giving thanks for Christ who is with us as we journey....

We look at this Son Jesus and see the God who cannot be seen.
We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. 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. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.
And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone.
So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. 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.
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.
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.
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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CORDOBA - clever, cultured and cold....!

Travelling from the lush tropical rainforest of Iguazu to Argentina's second city, Cordoba, came as something of a shock! Firstly, there were all the usual trappings of a city - traffic, buildings, people, hustle and bustle. (The very comfortable but "simple" hotel was also a bit of a come down! Indeed, intermittent wifi has made sending blogs a challenge but, here we are...!) Although a travel cliche, Cordoba really is a fascinating mix of old and new... 17th century ecclesiastical buildings stand next to the latest shopping centres. CLEVER: Indeed, this city boasts a long established academic foundation: Manzana Jesuitica, Argentina's first university (so it claims!). The next door academic establishment, Colegio Nacional de Montserrat, with its baroque exterior walls, may be as old - it all depends on whether you consider the date building began or charters were established! Visiting the university's oldest library and being shown a 17th century bible...
1 comment
Read more

Psalm 25 verse 2: "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore."

Travelling I've been conscious of God's gracious love towards me - but also for the need to be 'safe'..... Security is a big issue today. If you phone your bank, there will be lots of security questions to answer before your enquiry can be answered. There is much talk of national security, security cameras, security codes, etc. People want and need security – it is a desire deep within us. The question is, where can this security be found? God knows that the desire for security is there in believers also, and has been from ancient times. So he gives to Israel, and to us, a great assurance that they and we are totally secure. He says that he surrounds his people just as the mountains surrounded Jerusalem (v 2). This is the protection the Lord gives his people – the Creator God himself always keeps his people! He wants us to revel in this secure love, which is everlasting. We want to believe this is true, but how do we feel when so often life seems hard and evil appear...
Post a Comment
Read more

If God was a glacier...

Would I recognise within the purity of the whiteness, the whole spectrum of mercy and love hidden in that white light....? Would I stand in awe of the power veiled in the beauty...? Would I be open to this transforming force - shaping and re-shaping, removing all that stands in the way of changing, slowly and subtly taking all the 'boulders' of my 'baggage' and depositing them far away from my concerns...? Would I be prepared to pause, to stop and to listen out for the sounds of the secret symphony within, God promising hope that, even in the cold, painful moments, all will be ultimately well...? If God was a glacier, would I dare to visit, would I want to visit, knowing that, when we meet God, things will never quite be the same again...
1 comment
Read more