God Incarnate
Pause:
Before you start reading this devotional, take a moment to stop what you’re doing, slow down and focus on Jesus.
Pray and ask him to open your eyes to see as you read the scriptures, and to open your ears to hear as you wait on the leading of the Spirit.
Read:
Colossians 1v15-23: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by 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 under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
Going Deeper:
Over the last two weeks our devotionals have focused in on the attributes of God. His character. What He is like. And this is so important. As AW Tozer wrote: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
And this is so true. If our view of God is wrong, we will respond to Him wrongly. If we misunderstand His love, His grace or His mercy – we will see Him as harsh and cold. If we misunderstand His righteousness and Holiness – we will think He doesn’t care about sin. If we misunderstand His supremacy and omnipotence – we will misunderstand how great and powerful He is. If we misunderstand that He is our Father – we will not come to Him in the way He desires.
During this time, as many of us reel from uncertainty, confusion, disappointment, lack of control and the pressures of life, thinking rightly about God matters.
But even more than just good theology about God’s character, is a need to meet and to know and to experience this God for ourselves personally.
Knowing His goodness for ourselves (not just reading that He is Good), and knowing His love personally (rather than just hearing that God loves us), and knowing that He works all things together for our good, and that He is more powerful than any virus or global pandemic, and that He knows our needs even before we pray about them, are all so important in living by faith and trusting in Him at this time.
But here in Colossians 1v15 we read that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God.” That when we see Jesus, we see God. When we see what Jesus is like, we see what God is like.
For those of us struggling to relate to God at this time, and know what He is like, he has already revealed Himself to us best in His Son.
Here in Colossians 1, we read that Jesus is the creator and sustainer of the Universe. That everything that exists comes from Him – both visible and invisible, physical and spiritual. That He is supreme over all things, and that He represents the fullness of what God is like.
And that this same Jesus, God in the flesh, died for you and I to present us (or to show us off!) before God, as Holy and faultless and blameless in Him.
If this Jesus, who is the most important person in the Universe, has gone to all of that effort for you and I, we can be certain that we matter deeply to Him.
As we continue to walk through a very unusual and unsettling time in the history of our countries and world, let us look at God in Christ. Spend time reading and meditating on who He is in passages like John 1, Philippians 2, Colossians 1 and Romans 5 and 8. And draw courage that the God of the Universe – in all of His power and greatness - knows you, and sees you, and cares about you.
Pray:
Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to you from this passage this morning.
Listen:
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you this morning?
Apply:
What are you going to do in response to what God is saying to you from the text and by the Spirit?