DATE POSTED Monday, 2023-01-09
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Colossians 1:15; 17-19
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁵ Christ is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He existed before God made anything at all,^….
17 He was before all else began and it is his power that holds everything together. ¹⁸ He is the Head of the body made up of his people—that is, his Church—which he began; and he is the Leader of all those who arise from the dead, so that he is first in everything; ¹⁹ for God wanted all of himself to be in his Son.

APPLICATION: When churches are hurting financially, you might hear a pastor share a challenge where congregants are challenged to examine their checkbooks and determine where their priorities lie. New pastors coming into a church will do the same thing, they will examine the budget of a church and look for the priorities of that church. In reflecting over the past year, this past Sunday, or at the end of each day, what do you suppose that God would see as your priority in life? Perhaps for a great self-evaluation, it may be a great idea to do this every day! When things are not going as well as you had hoped, it may be best to do some inner reflection to discern whether you have taken the wheel of life from God and trying to do things on your own. While I believe that our Scripture is drawing us to an understanding that Jesus was first to experience everything, and His rightful place is to be first in everything we encounter in life, I believe God also wants us to be sure to place Jesus first in our lives, first in our marriages, first in our children, first in our finances, first in our church, first in our jobs and first in our friendships. When this happens, we are more apt to show the world that before all else, Jesus was! As for our personal lives, the world will only be impacted when the see what type of Christian we are and they experience the evidence that Jesus was, is, and will be first in everything we do and speak. In other words, if you expect to be around me, you will see and hear that Jesus is first. But while this will come with rejoicing at times, this commitment and display of godly behavior will come with many challenges, for this will upset Satan, and he will set his followers in motion to destroy us and challenge our faith. Remember, Jesus responded to Satan with the Scriptures, so arm yourself with the same, and you face Satan head on today.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God wanted all of Himself to be in His Son (vs 19), and I believe that Jesus wants all of Himself to be in us. Is He welcome, and will He find a holy space in which to reside?

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for creating us in Your image, sending Your Son so that we could enter the portals of heaven, and for Your precious Word to show us Your will for our lives. You knew the struggle we would face here on earth, so You allowed Your Son to experience many of the challenges that we face. However, we now have an advocate who sits at Your right hand in glory petitioning for us. Jesus set the stage for us, and He left us His example as our guide. Please continue to impress upon us the importance of allowing Jesus to be first in our lives. May Your Word always be first and a priority in our daily lives so that we could hear Your voice and receive Your guidance in this life. Lord, be glorified in and through me today. Let others see Jesus when they interact with me, so that their eyes may be turned towards You as they seek Your face. Touch the lives of unbelievers today, especially those in our realm of family and friends, and also the same for my readers and listeners. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!