By: Arnie Cole and Michael Ross
Today's passage
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Reflect
-Do I have a wrong or incomplete perception of who God is?
-Am I trying to define God in a way that's comfortable for me?
-How can I grow to appreciate the bigness of God without manipulating Him into something else?
Sometimes in our efforts to grow in our relationship with God, we end up diminishing Him. We try to contain God, to define Him in such a way that our limited human perceptions can understand Him. Yet when we try to squeeze God into a limited human definition, we miss the very essence of God as the Creator, Overseer, and Sustainer of all things seen and unseen in Heaven and here on Earth. God is big, yes. God is, in some ways, incomprehensible. But rather than overwhelm us or distance us from Him, that knowledge should inspire awe and reverence for God as the One who holds all things together, now and forever.
Respond
Ask for Change: Lord, help me learn to act selflessly, not with my own good in mind, but for the good of my neighbors, with the ultimate goal of furthering Your Kingdom on Earth.
Consider what's real: Consider what The Message version says about the unified body of the Christian church: "No matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of.... You are Christ's body--that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your 'part' mean anything" (1 Corinthians 12:19,27). Jesus expects our faith to go beyond a one-to-one relationship with Him and into the realm of our community. He didn't intend for our faith to be entirely individualistic, but communal in nature, impacting our neighbors in our own cities and towns, our own nation and beyond.
Additional verses to consider: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Ephesians 4:15-16
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