Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:9-23, Colossians 3:1-11, Daniel 7:9-14, Hebrews 1:1-4
This Is the New Testament is part of a twelve-week thematic overview of the entire Bible. As we read, we’ll gain a broader understanding of the redemptive story of Scripture. Each day we’ll read a thematic selection from a different book of the Bible, along with supplemental passages that show how the theme of that day’s main reading is found throughout Scripture. We’ll also read a brief summary of each book and a reflection on how the book fits into the larger story of Scripture. This week, we’ll continue reading the Pauline Epistles.
The Book of Colossians: Colossians is a letter written by Paul to counter false teaching in the city of Colossae. In it, Paul encouraged Jewish and Gentile believers alike toward a proper understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He also discussed the practical implications of salvation: Because they had been made new in Jesus, their lives as believers should have looked differently from their old lives.
How Colossians Fits into the Story: Colossians provides one of the Bible’s fullest expressions of Jesus’s divine identity. This is most evident in the hymn of praise in Colossians 1:15–23, which presents Jesus as the image of the invisible God, the Creator and sustainer of the universe. He is the head of His body, the Church, and the One through whom forgiveness is possible.
Reflection Questions:
1. Jesus is both fully God and fully man. How does the hymn of praise in Colossians 1:15–23 encourage you to celebrate this truth?
2. How does today’s reading shape your understanding of the story of redemption?
Take time to reflect on your responses and share what you are learning with others in the community in the comments.
Leave a Reply
69 thoughts on "Colossians"
❤️
❤️
Question 1: Jesus is both fully God and fully man. How does the hymn of praise in Colossians 1:15-23 encourage you to celbrate this truth?
– Us knowing that Jesus bears all the power, and we don’t is so ressuring to know that we don’t have the power Jesus has is such a relief. That God and Jesus hold the power, and they have the winsdom and knowledge also have more winsdom than we will ever have. Jesus is and was also will always be by our side guiding us through this thing called life.
Question 2: How does today’s reading shape your understanding of the story of redemption?
– God has made a promsie to us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Our Lord and Savior will be by our sides always.
Question #2: These passages remind me of who Jesus was from before the beginning of time. It is a huge “big picture” overview. Even before our creation, there was a plan for our salvation, because we were created with free will so that our love for God would be truly a free choice and not forced. What a huge risk God took in order to be loved by children who had the choice to love him or not!
Reflection Questions:
1. Jesus is both fully God and fully man. How does the hymn of praise in Colossians 1:15–23 encourage you to celebrate this truth?
Knowing that we are not the ones with power is a relief. God and Jesus have the power. They have the knowledge and wisdom. Jesus was, is, and will always be with us and will guide us. Such a relief!!
2. How does today’s reading shape your understanding of the story of redemption?
We have never been alone. Our Lord has always and will always be with us.
Amen!
In my email today was a five-day series by Lysa Terkherst. It is about letting go of what you can’t control. I signed up, indeed! He is before all things, and by HIM all things hold together. (Notice my name is not in there anywhere!) I memorized that with SRT before, but needed that reminder right now!! ❤️
What grabbed me at the start was the prayer that the Colossians would be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so as to walk in a manner worthy of Lord.
I need to be praying that prayer for myself and for the church.
Yes, So good! We NEED the wisdom to walk with him and for him!
Jesus, the embodiment of God, sacrificed his physical human body to atone for our sins. He possessed the ability to represent humanity and endure death in our stead. I am deeply grateful for the prayers offered by all of you. This community has provided me with immense comfort and support throughout this journey. May you all have a blessed day!
Praying for you, dear Ines.
I, too, always take special comfort in Colossians 1:17-
“He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.”
.
I am also reminded of Psalm 139, specifically verses 13-14:
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
(NLT)
.
.
SONG SHARE:
Reddick – I Believe It (The Life Of Jesus) [Official Lyric Video]
.
Lyrics:
It’s not just a story
It’s a living breathing walking testimony
Of a God so good
He’d leave His home in glory
For the world He loved
For the world that he so loved
It’s not just a story
I believe in the life of Jesus
I believe that He conquered death
I believe in the resurrection
I believe that He’s coming back again
I believe that His spirits with us
I believe that He gives us power
I believe that He is the son of God
I believe it
I believe it
believe it
I believe it
I believe in the life of Jesus
I can’t deny it
If I said I got here on my own I’d be lyin
‘Cause my eyes have seen the goodness
Of the father
We’re the ones he loves
We’re the ones that he so loved
I can’t deny it
Holy, holy
Let the earth rejoice
He is worthy of all praise
Written by Jon Reddick, David Leonard, Jess Cates, Jonathan Smith, and Daniel Carson
.
Love, hugs. and prayers! ❤
Jesus IS who He says He is! I trust Him! I went on to read verses 12-17 in Colossians which I KNOW it was meant for me to read. V12….clothe yourselves (my self) with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…..forgive one another. Perfect timing as I finish up my letter to my mom. I started it yesterday (in Spanish). Since time has gone by I can think more clearly, and though I’m still feeling anxious, I know through the power of the Holy Spirit, I “can” do this! AND I know my mom LOVES me! Please pray she receives it well. I know my mom loves me! I love how we read in V8 “rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage….” Time has allowed me think more clearly.
2 Forgive just as JESUS has forgiven ME!!
That’s beautiful, Mari, and I am glad to see your growth in these areas through your obedience in waiting. That’s inspiring!
Also, a pre-emptive note (on a sticky note on the outside of the folded letter) might help pave the way. One that says what you just said.
“I KNOW you LOVE ME. YOU KNOW that I love YOU! There is nothing stronger than our love except Jesus’ for us!”
Just a thought; please forgive me if I am butting in! ☺ ❤
.
Praying for your mom to receive this ‘olive branch’ of accountability/reconciliation! ❤
I love it! The sticky note on the outside of the folded letter is perfect! And I have pink, sticky notes, my favorite color! Thank you CeeGee!
Awesome, sweet sister! Hope it ‘softens the blow’! ❤❤❤
My Song Share for today: Love Of God by Brandon Lake & Phil Wickham…
It’s so good I almost can’t believe it
Far beyond what hearts could ever dream
The God who set the galaxies in motion
Would descend to give His life for me
For what could make perfection bleed for Sinners
What leads a King to pay so great a cost
All my life my heart will sing the answer
Only the love Of God
–
Chorus
Singing oh how great is the love of God
He paid our debt on that rugged cross
For all our days we will sing our Savior’s praise
How great is the love Of God
–
It’s so kind it leads us to repentance
It’s so bright the darkness has to flee
Hallelujah it cleared my guilty sentence
For I was bound but now I stand redeemed
For what could break the chains of any prison
What force could rob the power from the grave
What would trade my rags for heavens riches
Only the love Of God
–
Singing oh how great is the love of God
He paid our debt on that rugged cross
For all our days we will sing our Savior’s praise
How great is the love Of God
–
Though I try my mind can’t comprehend it
It’s so high too marvelous for words
I could sing a million songs about it
And barely scratch the surface of Your worth
This all my life the banner I’ll be waving
My anthem cries no matter what may come
And when I rise to walk the streets of heaven
I’ll still be singing this song
For everything that You’ve done
How great the love Of God
–
Singing oh how great is the love of God (how great is Your love)
He paid our debt on that rugged cross (He paid it all for me)
For all our days we will sing our Savior’s praise
How great is the love of God
Singing oh how great is the love of God
He paid our debt on that rugged cross
For all our days we will sing our Savior’s praise
How great is the love of God
How great is the love of God
Beautiful lyrics…I did not know them all! They bring such power and passion to it too when they sing it at their concerts!
Sharon, I loved this song and I must confess to never having heard it before! Thanks so much for sharing it today! ❤
❤️
Tina, the same verse spoke to me! And He is above all things and in Him all things hold together! When things seem to be falling apart, we can look to Him! That’s why we get our focus on heaven rather that what’s happening on earth! He is over all!
This song came to mind:
I was a wretch, I remember who I was
I was lost, I was blind, I was running out of time
Sin separated, the breach was far too wide
But from the far side of the chasm
You held me in Your sight
So You made a way, across the great divide
Left behind, Heaven’s throne, to build it here inside
And there at the cross You paid the debt I owe
Broke my chains, freed my soul, for the first time I had hope
Thank You Jesus, for the blood applied
Thank You Jesus, it has washed me white
Thank You Jesus, You have saved my life
Brought me from the darkness into glorious light
You took my place, laid inside my tomb of sin
You were buried for three days but then You walked right out again
And now death has no sting and life has no end
For I have been transformed by the blood of the Lamb
Thank You Jesus, for the blood applied (thank You, Jesus)
Thank You Jesus, it has washed me white
Thank You Jesus, You have saved my life
Brought me from the darkness into glorious light
There is nothing stronger
Than the wonder working power of the blood, the blood
That calls us sons and daughters
We are ransomed by our Father through the blood, the blood
There is nothing stronger
Oh, the wonder working power of the blood, the blood (it calls us)
That calls us sons and daughters
We are ransomed by our Father through the blood, the blood
Thank You Jesus, for the blood applied
Thank You Jesus, it has washed me white
Thank You Jesus, You have saved my life
Brought me from the darkness into glorious light
Glory to His name
Glory to His name
There to my heart was the blood applied
Glory to His name
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Bryan McCleery / Charity Gayle / David Gentiles / Ryan Kennedy / Steven Musso
Thank You Jesus for the Blood lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Essential Music Publishing, Music Services, Inc
Praying for all!
Such a great song! We just sang it a church a few weeks ago. It’s always humbling to sing it. ❤
Dominion, ruler, authority over all. He rains supreme. Our God is a mighty God, before all things and in all things. When I feel like things are out of control on a smaller scale or my own little world or on a bigger scale like this crazy world we live in, it if often this passage in Col 1:15-23 that i will come back to and jusy let my heart rest on and hold fast to what I know to be true of God and who is is. it is important to keep eyes on Jesus. Whst a mighty God we serve that He made a way for our redemption and salvation. Thank you Heavenly Father.
Oh sisters your encouragement and prayers brought me to tears – thank you. So very grateful for your words and care. I wss a bit anxious about my injection and its not the most comfortable but did ok. Going forward, my husband has received teaching and will actually be administering it so we will ge on our own. He will do just fine :) Again, I sm so grateful that this treatment optin is available to me at this point in time and that chemo and radiation are still far off. Thank you Lord. I dod not receive a call about the MRI appt or other follow-up. Todays reading is timely, He is in all things and God knows. Trust Him.
Praise God for answered prayer for Susan & Rebecca. Praying for Ines & Lanie and many others that have shared needs.
Have a wonderful day – praise the Lord, He is before it all ✝️
Yes, when our world is shaken, when fear comes in a big way (or grief), thank God we know who holds our tomorrow. “Because He lives.. I can face tomorrow…because he lives.. All fear is gone.
Because I know
He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!”
AMEN!
Wendy, I love that you go back to these verses when life hits you. What a great reminder for me to do the same! Memorizing it would be even better for me!
❤️
Praying for you. Wendy ❤️
Thank you ❤️
The truth of Who Jesus is..the Son, the Savior, the Hope, the LIGHT. The mountain-mover, giant killer, sea-divider! He restores, regenerates, reinvigorates and refines! He shuts the mouths of lions, calms the seas, feeds the thousands with 2 fish and a loaf of bread. He is our mercy, grace, and abundance, life. He is everything. He is Spirit, and God, the creator and Almighty.
It seems easier to wrap my head around He is everything, rather than just one attribute. He is EVERYTHING. He will make a way for me in all my struggles and guide me, hold me, strengthen me. Hallelujah.
The people that think it is just some made up way to help us, they are so blinded and prideful. They are lost and in the dark, and led by the evil one. It is heartbreaking now, but will be more so for eternity. It is our job, our commission to TELL the lost of Jesus, the answer, the way. The gospel. We love to give people advice for issues under the sun, yet we hesitate when giving them the most vital and crucial news there is. The remedy! The source of life that created us, molded us individually. The one that fills the hole we all have. The emptiness will always be there and the struggle will continue until we find peace and joy in Jesus! It must burn in us, that his fierce love for me, gives me fierce love for others. It motivates me, and gives me an urgency.
Will my life be used for this missive? Will I continue to tell my friends and family even though they think I’m crazy, a Jesus freak? A Bible thumper? Sometimes it’s easier for sure to talk to strangers, and strangers receive it easier. So think about this…YOU could be the stranger to talk to someone’s struggling daughter, someone’s niece, someone’s brother or husband. We all have our own stories and testimonies we can tell with just the right person God points to! Let’s make it a priority. :)
James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above.”
Amen Rhonda! Once again, your words are powerful and remind me of our/my purpose. “Go therefore and make disciple of all nations…”
I love the praises in your opening paragraph! And, yes, He is EVERYTHING!
Praying for you. your sister and nephew every day ❤️
Oh Teresa, thank you so much. It is so felt.
Amen Tami!!
Amen, indeed! ❤️
The Centrality of Christ passage always leaves me speechless. It feels so clear and awesome that I can’t help but rejoice! I’ve always loved it! For years, one of my spiritual practices has been to write out at least one verse or several verses each day. Today I am going to write out this passage in my journal to really take it to heart.
The Lord reconciled me not just with words but his actual physical body on the cross! Because of that love, that physical action, I am presented to God as something/somebody lovelier than I truly am if I stay steadfast and grounded in the Faith.
That’s a great practice Penni! Love that! I can just imagine seeing ALL the scriptures written out over the days, months, and years! I want to start doing this! Thank you for sharing!
I love that practice! I’ve done it in the past. I wonder why I stopped??
Colossians reminded me that Jesus is far greater than I sometimes stop to consider. He is fully God and fully man, the Creator who stepped into His creation to rescue us. That truth fills my heart with gratitude and worship.
Today’s reading also shaped my understanding of redemption by reminding me that everything points to Jesus. He is the beginning, the fulfillment, and the reason we can be reconciled to God. One of my favorite lines in Colossians 1 is, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” It’s such a comforting reminder that the same Jesus who created the universe is the One who holds our lives together too. It makes the story of redemption feel even more incredible the Creator became our Redeemer.
Oh yes, this is going to be written in the cover of my Bible today!
Love that! The Creator became our Redeemer” – powerful!
I’ve seen a lot of discourse on social media lately about people becoming Christian and “all of a sudden becoming a totally different person.” These verses are a reminder that when we walk with Christ, our lives should look different!! It doesn’t have to make sense to the world. In fact, it probably won’t, but to know Jesus is to accept the radical change He brings into our lives.
Celebrating these truths:
.
We get to “see” God through Christ, and get a glimpse of His glory.
.
He holds all things together, dispelling our fears and worries.
.
Christ reconciles all things to Himself, including me and you!
.
Peace is made between us and God through the shed blood of Christ.
.
These are reasons to celebrate for sure!!
—
@Ines Hodzic and @Lane H – praying for your pregnancies. May God hold these precious babies in His hands until they are ready to be born – full term!
@Susan Bonner – praise God that Tom is off the ventilator & oxygen!
@Wendy B – continued prayers for your health.
@Rebecca W – praise God that Brett got the job!
@Adrienne – praying for your mom’s appointment on Wednesday.
@Mari V – praying wisdom for you as you confront your mom on the situation that happened, and for you as you adjust to being an empty-nester.
—
Blessings to all my dear sisters today. ❤️
thank you❤️
Thank you! ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you, SJG!
Thank you Jesus
Jesus is fully God and fully man—making Him the only one suitable to provide propitiation for mankind! Through Jesus, our account is wiped clean! His perfect life, satisfying death, and conquering resurrection are accounted to us and we live, fully redeemed from the power and penalty of our sin! Praise God for His great loving kindness for us in that while we were still sinning, Christ died for us!
Amen
This part of verses 19 and 20 stands out to me today “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself”
This leads me to celebrate that I am reconciled to God Almighty!
.
Today’s reading reminds me that because I am redeemed through Jesus’ sacrifice, I am presented to God as “holy, faultless, and blameless.” Which most days is just as great a mystery as Jesus being both fully God and fully man!
.
Praying for your requests.
.
“Remain grounded and steadfast in the faith” as you gothrough your day!
Ditto and Amen Kelly!!!
❤️
Colossians 3: “Set your minds on things above” is helping me on this Gratitude Tuesday because our thought lives are a huge part of living victoriously as Christian’s women one thought at a time and then one action at a time!
Indeed!! 2 Corinthians 10:5 yes?
Amen!
Each and every word here in this hymn, is a mic drop, but the ones that got my heart today, were..
“He is before all things, and by Him, all, ALL things hold together..”
.
This earth, this world, is held together by Him..
I am held together by Him.
Each and every one of us is held together.. By Him.
.
When we are struggling, HE holds us together in the fight.
.
When life is hard, and we are taken aback by events, HE holds us together in His grace.
.
When we cannot see or find our way, because life is overwhelming HE holds us together and brings us home.
.
When we are lost in grief, and our hearts are breaking, HE holds us together, whilst He wraps His comforting arms around us.
.
When there is confusion all around, and life feels tipsy turvy, HE holds us together until we are the right way up.
.
When we are wanting, desiring, longing, dreaming, HE holds us together, in the wait.
.
If all we can do is put one foot in front of the other, praise God, for HE holds us together, as we lift each foot.
.
And for sure, when life is good and the world seems calm, HE holds us together in the joy!
.
HE HOLDS US TOGETHER IN EVERY, EVERY, EVERY SITUATION.
.
BUT GOD.,
.
Thankful, that through some situations we may fall apart, BUT, by His grace, HE holds us together.
.
AMEN.
.
Happy Tuesday wrapped in love, hugs and prayers requested or as felt to.
.
Much love,
Tina..❤️
.
KELLY, when i respond to comments it’s usually from top to bottom, for whatever reason when I got to yours and below, I was not allowed to comment..
Thank you for your prayers and a ❤️ for your comment.
Wonderful Tina!
What a beautiful thought to take with us into a new day. Whatever happens, He will hold us together.
Thank you❣️
Amen!
Amen!
Thank you Tina for this encouragement this morning! It gives solace to my heart.
It is such a comforting thought and passage, in all things He holds us together! Lord knows I try to do this myself without success, but what a wonderful reminder that no matter what happens he will hold us together.
Amen ❤️
Beautiful reflection, Tina! I just copied it in my journal.
Sweet Tina, I just got up and went to yesterday’s comments. THANK you! That’s is exactly what I did. It’s been over a week since the situation happened, as I needed to take time to cool down.
I was going to write two letters, one for myself and saying EVERYTHING I felt and burn/tear it up and then write the one I would give her. Since time has gone by, I’m taking my time writing “the” letter. I just started yesterday and finishing it up hopefully this morning and giving it to her tomorrow. I am thankful for having had taken a 12 step-study through Celebrate Recovery which helped me to use “I” and “me” statements. I love you sweet Tina. Can’t wait to meet you someday a give you a tight squeeze!
Once again Tina you put it beautifully! I’ve copied it and emailed it to myself. I have a folder with some great comments from the women in this group. I wish I would have copied some of the comments from Churchmouse as well.
Thank you Tina! Amen!
❤️
I needed those encouraging reminders, Tina. Thank you. ❤️