Christ Is Everything
Jesus the Christ came to do the Father's will. By doing so, He learned obedience
and became the author of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:8-9).
Christ was given ALL authority (Matthew 28?:18), and will keep that authority
until the end when God will destroy this earth and everything in it (2 Peter
3:10).
Everything that mankind considers important pales in comparison to Christ Jesus
our Lord.
Christ is the One to have first place in everything concerning our lives (Colossians
1:18). Christ was there in creation with God (John 1:1-2) and in fact, He was
God. Jesus Christ is Deity that came in the flesh to teach mankind the great
things of God.
Christ died on the cross for all mankind. This is the grace of God, that we
do not have to suffer the ultimate punishment for our sins, because Jesus died
on the cross in our place. We need to realize that we owe everything to Jesus.
We owe Him our love and our respect. We show this by keeping His commandments.
Everything else is nothing compared with the knowledge of knowing Christ. Notice
what Paul writes in Philippians 3:7: "But whatever things were gain to
me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ". You see,
with Paul, Christ took first place in his life. Paul taught his followers to
imitate him as he himself imitated the Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Paul told
the Galatians that he no longer considered himself as important as Christ. In
fact in Galatians 2:20 we read: " I have been crucified with Christ, and
it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, and delivered
Himself up for me."
In Colossians 3:1-4 we have several things to notice. First is the being raised
with Christ. This has reference to our baptism as we read in Romans 6:3-6 as
the representation of the death burial and resurrection of Christ. When we give
ourselves to Christ we put to death the old man and become a new creature. We
become a Christian. Our focus now needs to be on Jesus and we need to keep thinking
spiritual thoughts. In verse 3 we read that we have died and our life is hidden
with Christ in God. Notice v. 4 "when Christ who is our life...."
Christ needs to be our very existence and focus in everything we do. Our souls
depend upon faith in Christ that God will raise us up from the dead into eternal
glory.
If we are faithful and obedient, we will be able to share in the glory that
belongs to Christ. Is Christ first in your life?
By Carey Scott
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