Daily Scripture Reading Colossians 1:1-23
Humans have a natural desire to be relevant and important. We want to have control in our lives. We tend to think the world revolves around us. Thus, we live life in order to please ourselves.
Today, we are going to start reading through Paul’s letter to Colossae. We will learn that the world does not exist for our pleasure. Instead, we exist for God’s pleasure, and we should act accordingly.
Col. 1:1 ¶ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
Col. 1:2 ¶ To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Paul wrote this letter to the brothers in Colossae. Colossae was located in Asia. Paul traveled all around that area, but there is no evidence that Paul ever visited the city of Colossae.
Col. 1:3 ¶ We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
Col. 1:4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints,
Col. 1:5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel
Col. 1:6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and multiplying, just as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth;
Col. 1:7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow slave, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,
The phrase “fellow slave” indicates both Paul and Epaphras were slaves of Christ. Then Paul called Epaphras a servant of Christ. The world does not exist for our benefit. We Christians are slaves and servants of Jesus.
Col. 1:8 who also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
Col. 1:9 ¶ For this reason also, since the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Notice what Paul did and did not include in his prayers. Paul prayed that the Colossians would be filled with full knowledge. He did not pray that they would feel good or have an emotional experience.
Col. 1:10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God;
Walking in a manner worthy of the Lord means obeying the Lord. If we obey the Lord, then we will please Him and bear good fruit.
Once again in this verse we see the word “knowledge”, but we don’t see any reference to feelings or emotions.
Col. 1:11 being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously
Col. 1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Col. 1:13 Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love,
Pay attention to the movement in this verse. Paul and the Colossians went from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Jesus.
Eternity is binary. Every human will either spend eternity in heaven or in hell. By default, every person is on their way to hell. The only way to go to heaven is to believe in Jesus and become a Christian. That is what Paul meant by being transferred to the kingdom of the Son.
Col. 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The pronoun “whom” refers to Jesus.
Col. 1:15 ¶ Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Col. 1:16 For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
Look at the phrase “for Him”. Everything in the universe was created for Christ.
Humans have a natural desire to be relevant and important. We want to have control in our lives. Humans are the most intelligent and creative species on earth. No other species has invented anything remotely close to airplanes and the internet. Thus, humans tend to think the world revolves around us. We live life in order to please ourselves.
However, Paul informed us in this verse that everything was created for Jesus. That includes us. We were created by Jesus and for Jesus. As we go through life, we should not seek to please ourselves because we do not exist to please ourselves, we exist to serve Jesus.
Col. 1:17 ¶ And He is before all things,
And in Him all things hold together.
Col. 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church;
If Jesus is the head of the church, then all of us who belong to the church are his subjects. He does not exist to serve us. We exist to serve Him.
Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
If Jesus will have first place in everything, then we humans are not in first place. We are beneath Jesus.
Col. 1:19 For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
Col. 1:20 And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross—through Him—whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Col. 1:21 ¶ And although you were formerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds,
Col. 1:22 but now He reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—
We are not reconciled because of anything we did. We are reconciled because Jesus reconciled us through His death. Without the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, we would have no hope.
Col. 1:23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
Humans have a natural desire to be relevant and important. We want to have control in our lives. We tend to think the world revolves around us. Thus, we live life in order to please ourselves.
However, we saw in today’s passage that all things came into existence through Christ, and all things exist for Him. Therefore, we are His servants.
How should your philosophy of life change in light of the fact that we exist to serve Jesus, not ourselves?
How should your behavior change in light of this truth?
What can you proactively do to serve Jesus?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”