Lord of All or Not Lord at All
Read the Text: Colossians 1
Memorize the Text:
I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:13, CSB)
Consider the Text: Colossians 1:15-23
Jesus is either Lord of all in your life or not Lord at all in your life. With Jesus, there is no middle ground or halfway. People today attempt to redefine Jesus to make him fit their perspectives, opinions, and ways. They attempt to make Jesus the spokesperson for a political stance, a therapist to help them cope, or just make him a spiritual feeling. The apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1 that we must accept Jesus as the real, authentic Messiah. We do not define Jesus, but Jesus must redefine us. So today, is Jesus Lord of all in your life or not Lord at all?
CHRIST IS …
The apostle Paul provided clarity about Jesus as he defined Christ as the Creator, Unifier, and Recreator. Each of these descriptors reveals part of understanding the person of Christ. The Bible reveals that Jesus served as the agent of creation. In Genesis, we find that God spoke creation into existence, and in John 1, we find that Jesus is the Word. Here in Colossians 1, the apostle noted that Jesus is the creating agent by which all things were created. Thus, Jesus is the Creator.
Jesus not only served as Creator but exists as the Unifier as well. As the Unifier, Jesus is the rebar to the Body of Christ. He holds all things together and brings forth harmony in the body. Jesus brings together things that are divided and holds together things that want to divide. Jesus is the Unifier because of His work and His love for us.
At the same time, Jesus is the Recreation. He is restoring the broken vessels of creation and reforming them through offering salvation. Since Christ alone brings forth redemption, He alone can recreation that which needs redemption. This is because Christ, the agent of creation, only can redeem the agent of salvation and make us whole again. Thus, Christ is the Creator, the Unifier, and the Recreator.
CHRIST’S WORK
As the agent of creation and recreation, Jesus performed the needed work that offered us the benefit of the work. Jesus carried out the work of peace, the work of meeting, and the work of cleaning. Jesus is the reconciliating agent between sinful humanity and the Heavenly Father in the work of peace. His work on the cross and in the resurrection formed an avenue for rebel sinners to become children of God. Thus, Jesus provides the needed work of peace.
Jesus carries out the work of meeting us where we are. Jesus does not expect us to become clean and perfect before engaging him. Instead, Jesus descends to where we are to take us to where we need to be. Jesus meets us in our sinful, hostile state to engage us and bring us into a relationship with him. Think about John 4 and the woman at the well. Jesus met her at the well to offer her eternal water.
Jesus carries out the work of cleaning. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, he cleanses us from sin and presents us as holy. This does not mean we gain perfection, but we are now seen as pure and blameless. Thus, we strive to live above reproach and follow the will of the Lord. At the same time, Christ's work of cleansing in our lives offers us genuine hope to rest in.
Today we must consider our relationship with the Lord. Do we seek to know Jesus on our terms, or do we know him on his terms? Is Jesus the Lord of all your life, or is he not the Lord at all in your life?
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
