Consider this: Our time is never wasted, as all of our days are spent with the Creator, who has pre-eminence over all creation. In His pre-eminence, He was pre-emptive in that before we asked for faith, Christ’s finished work authored our faith, and by His resurrection, we are assured that He will finish it.
While we were lamenting and mourning the hopelessness of this reality doomed to death and oblivion, He established Himself as our Hope of glory. In His perfect timing, and in everlasting love, He lay down His life to reconcile us to Him, saving us by His resurrection.
Christ’s finished work disconnected us from sin, and reconnected us to the Father. Now, nothing can separate us from the perfect love of our Creator.
It is this Truth that has Paul boasting in his great suffering, rejoicing in his many afflictions. We are thus inspired, as not only is he sustained and preserved through all the worst this world can give; no, we not only survive, but shine in the darkness… drawing all to God by light, yet not our light, but Christ shining in and through us, now and forever.
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.” – Colossians 1:13-14
Paul continues to rejoice in expressing our salvation, elaborating on the redemption/reconciliation we have in Christ.
We have been redeemed through the blood of Christ. We have full and complete and finished forgiveness of our sins. We have been delivered from the power of darkness – note, not just the kingdom of darkness, as in location, but from the power, the reach, the influence the coverage of darkness.
The tiger has been taken out of the jungle, and the jungle has also been taken out of the tiger.
We have been conveyed into the kingdom of Christ, the “Son of (God’s) love”. Being conveyed means to be transported and delivered; However, the term ‘reconveyance’ means to convey back to a previous position or owner. This leads me to believe that there was not just a transfer from one place to another, but from one position to another, one owner to another.
Indeed, we have been purchased at a price, redeemed by His blood; and as such, darkness and sin no longer have power over us. Sin does not own us anymore. Instead, we are brought to Christ, whose yoke is easy, and whose burden is light. We are in Christ, redeemed, forgiven of our sins, rescued, delivered; We are in Christ, and He gives us rest.
And as we rest in Christ, we enjoy His glory; we behold the faith which he began in us. We find relief in the hope which keeps us stable. We enjoy His love… and a preacher shares, “He does love us, but understand that He reallyLIKESus, too.”
We are moved, from glory to glory. We are walking worthy of the Lord, abounding in every good work. We grow in mind and stature, increasing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened in all His might.
Do you see what’s going on here? We enjoy so much in Christ, and we aren’t even halfway through the chapter!
Investing time in the knowledge of the will of God (who is, Christ, plain and simple) is the greatest use of our time, for we, and those around us, would overflow in rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks to God!
By this we prove Christ when He declared we are lights that cannot be hidden, adding spice and flavor to the world.
He has paid so much, and now we have so much in Him.
“He is the image of the invisible God, theFirstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.All things were created through Him and for Him.
AndHe is before all things, andin Him all things consist. AndHe is the head of the body, the church, who isthe beginning,the firstborn from the dead, thatin all things He may have the pre-eminence.” – Colossians 1:15-18
Paul almost tag-teams with John here as they pretty much say the same thing of Christ. Christ is firstborn of all creation; he was in the beginning with God. All things in heaven and on the earth, seen and unseen, were created by Him, through Him, and for Him. Without Him nothing was made that was made. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Christ created all things, and was therefore before all things, and in Him all things consist. Christ creates, and sustains. Furthermore, Christ demonstrated His authority through His finished work, and when He rose from the dead, He proved that He was not just firstborn of all creation, but also firstborn from the dead.
He lived to die. He was born to die, and when He died, He lived, and now is the head of the body, having pre-eminence in all things.
(an exhortation)
Creator naturally has pre-eminence, superiority over creation. Creation can never have superiority over its Creator. To rephrase: Creation cannot have superiority over Creator. Creation is from Christ, created by Christ, for Christ. All creation was made by Christ, and without Christ nothing that was created was created.
Christ speaks to the Jews, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.I and the Father are one.”
Even now, I would indulge myself in thinking of Christ… the same Christ who, on the cross declared “it is finished”, is the same Christ in the beginning, who was in the beginning, IS the Beginning; as the stars and the seas, the heavens and earth were spoken into existence, He declared “it is good.”
Oh, Christ, Author, Redeemer, Finisher of our faith! Your work is full, perfect and complete, spanning from beginning to the end, beyond time itself!
“Forit pleased the Fatherthatin Him all the fullness should dwell, andby Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven,having made peace through the blood of His cross.“– Colossians 1:19-20
Fullness’ synonyms are “absoluteness, completeness, entireness, entirety, perfectness, wholeness.”
I’ve had to go back to Colossians 1:17 where it is mentioned that in Christ, “all things consist.” I assumed – rather, I enjoyed the assumption that this meant that all things are held together by Christ. Well, in a way, that still holds true, because to consist is to “lie, (or) reside (in).”
“..it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.” It pleased the Father, that in Christ, all things consist. The infinite Christ has pre-eminence over all things in that all things reside in him. All things exist in him. And the Father is pleased.
“…it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, andthe pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.“– Isaiah 53:10
Christ reconciled all things. He was bruised, put to grief, His soul made an offering for sin, and in so doing, He made peace. Through the blood of His cross, He reconciled all things, made peace with all things.
“But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in thatwhile we were sinners,Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
For ifwhen we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more,having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.“ – Romans 5:8-10
We were sinners. But God is good. Paul continues,
“Andyou, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yetnow He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, blameless, and above reproach in His sight-
If indeed you continue in the flesh, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” – Colossians 1:21-23
It was finished before we began. It was complete before we started. Before we thought of making peace with Him, Christ made peace with us through the blood of His cross. He was made an offering for sin, before any effort we thought of to offer our lives to Him, before we ever thought of coming to Him or getting closer to Him, by His death He already reconciled all things to Himself. While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.
Before we thought of salvation, or the thought of saving ourselves, Christ already guaranteed we shall be saved by His life.
John 3:16, all over and over and over again. If we want to do something, we may want to believe. BELIEVE.
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be, forever.
“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of whichI became a minister according to the stewardship from Godwhich was given to me for you,to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
To themGod willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mysteryamong the Gentiles: which isChrist in you, the Hope of glory.
Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” – Colossians 1:24-29
For a moment, I was annoyed at Paul’s writing style, but I think I got it: Paul expresses how he became a minister to the body of Christ, according to the stewardship from God. This stewardship was to fulfill (to reveal) the word of God, which has been hidden from ages and generations, but now revealed to His saints: the riches and glory of Christ in us, the Hope of glory.
Paul preaches Christ, warning and reaching every man in all wisdom, that he may present every man perfect in Christ. Paul moves in Christ.
As we all should, really. Christ is God’s will, through the ages and generations… and not just that He would be seen, but that He is in us, the Hope of Glory; While we were God’s enemies He, being the image of God, firstborn of all creation, lay down His life, forever reconciling us, creation reunited with Creator.
By Christ’s finished work we have been brought from darkness into the light, faith written in our hearts, hope for our souls, and perfect love casting out all fear.
The magnificent Christ and His finished work has Paul rejoicing, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks! From Christ’s finished work Paul is able to rejoice in his sufferings, and what else is there to proclaim and boast on but Christ?
He has been revealed to Paul, and to all of us, and so we preach, warning and teaching every man all wisdom; as we move from glory to glory, grace to grace ourselves, as we have been presented as perfect in Christ Jesus, so we speak and live and move and have our being, all the while shining for all creation: BE RECONCILED TO GOD!
Oh, God be praised – for from Him are all things, and to Him are all things. Our hearts are full.
Father, my heart is full. No matter what happens tomorrow as I turn 36, or no matter what more may come, I just want to take this moment, to thank You. I have true Life. Filled with perfect, everlasting Love. Always in the Light, shining the Light of Christ, my Morning Star, my Rock – the reason for my being, the banner in whose name I conquer this world.
Jesus, Son of God, who died and rose again… Jesus, I celebrate You. I delight in You. You celebrate me. You enjoy me, and I am thankful. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You.
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
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