The Greatness of Jesus
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 1:15-20:
“He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
16 For everything was created by him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him.
17 He is before all things,
and by him all things hold together.
18 He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have
first place in everything.
19 For God was pleased to have
all his fullness dwell in him,
20 and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace
through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Going Deeper:
There is no one and nothing greater than Jesus. The most powerful, unconquerable, and terrifying ruler is only a temporary authority that was created through Jesus, and whose power can be taken away in an instant by Jesus’ command. Jesus has perfect authority over every earthly person, over every spiritual being, over Satan, and even over death itself.
Jesus existed with the Father “before all things,” and he will rule for eternity. Only because of Jesus can anything exist or hold together. I, you, and everything in the universe was created in order to display the beauty, power, and love of Jesus—in other words, simply for God’s glory. We were not created for ourselves, we did not manifest ourselves into being, and we do not exist because we earned it. We were created, in the image of God, only because He wanted us to exist.
Jesus is “the image of the invisible God,” a visible and physical representation of God Himself. Or, as Hebrews puts it: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). When we look at Jesus, read his words in Scripture, or watch the way he interacts with each person throughout the Gospels, we see the Father. Jesus shows us what the creator of the universe would look like as a human being. Jesus is the exact expression of God’s character, including his patience, love, gentleness, and incomparable might.
When we look at Jesus, we see the most powerful, holy, perfect, and foremost being in existence.
Yet, he laid down everything just to know us. He bends down to hear us. He touches us with a gentle hand. He heals us and teaches us. He disciplines us like children that he loves. He has compassion and mercy on us, and he forgives us. With all of the power and majesty and authority in the universe, he put his mind to accomplishing this work: reconciling us to himself.
It’s easy to forget Jesus’ incredible status as King of the Universe, seated at the right hand of God, because he doesn’t abuse us with his power. He doesn’t lord it over us, or make himself inaccessible. Instead, he treats us like brothers and sisters that he loves. In our simple, daily, friendly relationship with Jesus, though he treats us like friends and equals, may we never lose sight of just how Great he truly is.
Pray:
Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to you from this passage today.
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?