Young Men and Women, Christ Is All that Matters

“Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us”

(Colossians 3:11, NLT)

Paul compresses his comprehensive creed into these 12 words: “Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” Each word brings to light all the excellences and glories of Jesus Christ our Lord. I love how New King James Version simplified it: “Christ is all and in all.” Letter to the Colossian church aims primarily at the exaltation of Christ in His glory and splendor. Of the 95 verses in this letter, Christ is mentioned more than half! Christ, Christ, Christ. “Christ is all and in all.” The Colossian Christian were being taught and lured away by the false teachings of Gnosticism (you're required to have ‘special knowledge’ to get to know God, to put it simply).  Paul here directs their attention toward Jesus alone as the source of wisdom and knowledge – Christ is all that matters.

Paul tells them that in Christ, “dwells all the completeness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). A hymn by an unknown author puts it wonderfully,

In Him most perfectly expressed,

The Father’s glories shine,

Of the full Deity possessed

Eternally divine.

Jesus is the complete embodiment of all there is in God. Jesus Himself declared: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father… I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:9, 11). Paul here demolished the Docetic* heresy which maintained that Jesus has no real body and the Cerinthian* heresy which separated the man Jesus from the divine attribute.

Christ is the all in all of creation. “Everything was created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). “Everything” here means the whole universe. This is the Christ-centred universe – a Christocentric universe! He is its nerve center. Paul is underlining the central activity of Christ in creation. The whole creation is designed to reveal Him. The natural points us to the spiritual.

Christ is the all in all of the providence. “He existed before anything else” (Colossian 1:17). J. Oswald Sanders writes, “Christ occupies the whole sphere of human life and permeates all its developments. Nature is not a machine. Its laws are formulated and administered by the risen Christ.” It is by Him that all things unified, hold together and “in him, we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28).

Christ is the all in all of the redemption. He “purchased our freedom and forgave our sins” (Colossians 1:14). Through His blood we have redemption! He alone has redeemed us. He paid the debt of our sin not with silver or gold but by His own precious blood. Jesus nailed our sin to the cross thus “ canceled the record of the charges against us” (Colossians 2:14). At the same time, He gloriously defeated “the [evil] spiritual rulers and authorities” and held them up to public shame and disgrace (read Colossians 2:15).

Christ is all that matters

And you know what? He lives in all of us. Wow!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Things I Wish My Father Knew #6 Provide Protection

A father is

instinctively protective

of his children.

He provides

a firm grasp

on the hand of his toddler,

crossing a busy street;

a watchful eye

on the growing child,

testing his boundaries;

a word of

wisdom, guidance or warning

to the fledgling

asserting his independence.

Protective measures

of a loving father!

Our Heavenly Father

also protects his children.

His firm grasp

will guide you

through the busy highways

of life.

He watches protectively

as his growing child

tests the boundaries

of His love.

His word provides

wisdom, guidance, and warning

to His child

seeking identity and direction.

Protective measures

of a loving Father!

“The LORD delights

in the way of the man

whose steps he has made firm;

though he stumble,

he will not fall,

for the LORD upholds him

with His hand”

(Psalms 37:23-24)

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Gives in Abundance even Beyond Our Wildest Expectations

“Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!”
(Matthew 14:19-21, NLT).

Jesus, acting as the host of the soon-to-be banquet, took the loaves and fish, thanked God beforehand for the provision he was about to give, and then broke the loaves – and the miracle occurred in Jesus’ hands. He gave the bread to his disciples to then give “to the people.” He did the same thing with the fish. The disciples acted as waiters (reminds me of doing part-time as waiter at the Hilton and Riverside Hotel), taking the bread and fish, distributing it, and then returning to Jesus to get more. They continued to serve the crowd until everyone had had enough to eat.

What an amazing miracle. Before the eyes of the disciples and the gathered crowd, the small offering of food had somehow multiplied so that everyone had more than enough to eat. Through this miracle, God was authenticating Jesus as his Son and portraying the generous blessings of the Kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as God had provided manna to the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16) and had multiplied oil and flour for Elijah and the widow at Zarephath (1 Kings 17:7-16) and oil for Elisha (2 Kings 4:1-7), he was providing bread for the people on this day.

The people, especially those far from the scene, probably couldn’t see Jesus multiply the loaves and fish. On the other hand, they had been watching Jesus perform miracles all day. The disciples had also seen the healings, yet even they wondered about Jesus’ ability to provide food for them and the crowd. Jesus took that small donation and increased it to an incredible amount, plus leftovers! (“…twelve baskets of leftovers”). God can do anything. He can, and will, multiply what we give to him – beyond our wildest expectations. Think about this: God gives in abundance. If we take the first step in making our time, abilities, and other resources available to God, he will show us how greatly we can be used to advance God’s Kingdom.

“If we just give God the little that we have,

We can trust Him to make it go around”
(Gloria Gaither)

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus: A Personal Shepherd Provides His Presence and Rest

Years after David wrote (Psalm 23), another Bethlehem Shepherd would say: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).

Note the promises of Jesus. “I will come again and receive you to Myself.” He pledges to take us home. He does not delegate this task. He may send missionaries to teach you, angels to protect you, teachers to guide you, singers to inspire you, and physicians to heal you, but He sends no one to take you. He reserves this job for Himself. “I will come back and take you home.” He is your personal Shepherd. And He is personally responsible to lead you home. And because He is present when any of His sheep dies, you can say what David said, “I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4).

…And when God calls us into the deep valley of death, He will be with us. Dare we think that He would abandon us in the moment of death? Would a father force his child to swim the deep alone? Would the shepherd require his sheep to journey to the highlands alone? Of course not. Would God require His child to journey to eternity alone? Absolutely not! He is with you!

What God said to Moses, He says to you: “My Presence will go with you” (Exodus 22:14)

[From Travelling Light by Max Lucado]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus taught that God is our Sustainer and Provider

“May your [God’s] Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us today the food we need”

(Matthew 6:10-11, NLT).

The Jewish people knew the prophecies of a coming Messiah, whom they expected to throw off the nation’s oppressors, defeat her enemies, and restore Israel to her former glory under King David and King Solomon (called the “Golden Age of Israel Kingdom”). God had announced his Kingdom in the Covenant with Abraham (see Genesis 17:7-8), and pious Jews were still waiting for it – even today. So most Jews found accepting Jesus as the Messiah to be very difficult because Jesus preached a spiritual Kingdom, not an earthly, physical one. At least the physical one – future Kingdom – is coming soon but first, spiritual Kingdom.

When Jesus told his disciples to pray, “May your Kingdom come soon,” he was referring to God’s spiritual reign, not Israel’s freedom from Rome. To pray, “May your Kingdom come soon,” is to ask that more and more people will enter God’s Kingdom and to ask God to rule in their lives. It also reaffirms belief in the coming of a future Kingdom, when all evil will be destroyed, God will establish the new heaven and earth, and his glory will be known to all the nations (Psalm 110:1, Revelation 21:1).

Saying “May your will be done” acknowledge total submission to God’s rule, praying that God’s perfect purpose will be accomplished in this world (“on earth”) as it already is in heaven. With submission to God and his rule comes total dependence. The next request regards personal needs and provisions. “Give us today the food we need” or better “Give us today our daily bread.” “Food” or “bread” refers to food in general, though it could also refer to spiritual nourishment. Ask God for physical and spiritual “food.” Notice that we must trust God “today” to provide what he knows we need.

Think about this: Believers must trust God for provision and not worry. The fact that God provides daily food does not mean we should just sit back, relax, and wait for food (or money) to drop into our laps. We need to work to earn enough to pay for what we eat. Praying for daily food acknowledges that God is Sustainer and Provider. God gives us ability and opportunities to work. He provides.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.