He (Jesus Christ) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. Colossians 1:17-19
Have you ever stopped to consider the cost of our salvation to Jesus Christ? What was the price that He paid? Unless you begin to understand the cost; how can you really appreciate the gift? The foreknowledge from before creation could not erase the utter agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane as He knew the time was imminent. As we just read last Friday in the verses before, Christ is God–the perfect echoing image of the Father. He was the creator of the universe. He then in the fullness of time, came to earth to face every temptation with its fullest intensity as a man; yet, with steady determination to obedience, He had lived the entirety of His life in perfect righteousness. Now He had come the time that He should be tried by evil men, rejected and hung on the cross. The physical agony was almost more than bearable. The emotional agony of rejection by the very ones He came to save was unthinkable. Still, none of that compared to the most agonizing fact of all. For a moment in time, He would have to die spiritually and be sudden separated from God the Father and the Holy Spirit. To become the firstborn from the dead; He had to die-not just physically, but also He had to taste spiritual death. For Christ, that was the most painful thought of all. His agonizing cry sounded throughout the heavens and the earth,
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Mark 15:33-34
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Life rings forth each morning with renewed hope. Strengthened by the nights rest, we arise to face a new day, a new dawn. We have that hope because we know that in Christ, we have new mercies every morning. There is no need to look back at my own failures with regret; but, to look forward knowing that Christ has redeemed me, cloaked me with His righteous. In Christ, I am God’s Beloved Child; what more do I need to know! Each day, each new year; I can rest assured in Him. Today truly is the first day of the rest of my life.
Bright New Day
By Effie Darlene Barba
Let the bells ring forth a joyous sound
Of Love and hope to all around
The past is gone, to be no more
Today, new dreams to seek, explore
Just like the dawning of new light
Brings with it beams of strength and might
That stretch like arms to fill the sky
With rays of hope for you and I
Each day with mercies new God gives
Beginnings bright, His spirit lives
Within our hearts to comfort, cheer
To know that God has drawn us near
Because in Christ we have new life
No longer trapped in sin and strife
He cloaked me in His righteousness
That I might now be filled with bliss
In Christ, I can rest assured that each new dawn is filled with hope and new beginnings. Often in my lifetime, when I believed that I had failed God; I would lie there paralyzed by own guilt and shame. Each time, as I lay there in the mud pit of my own making, weeping to God because of my own sin; God would reach out His hand of love. In despair, I would say, “How can you love me? I failed you, I am so covered with sin!” He would smile and say,”What sin, my child?” Covered by the cloak of righteousness purchased by the blood of Christ; God no longer sees my sin. Instead He would gently pull me up, dust me off and then say, “Child, we have work to do. Let’s go! Today is a new beginning.” That is Grace beyond measure and mercy!
[bctt tweet=”Today dawns a new year, a new day and with Christ in me; new hope, peace, and joy” username=”effiedarlene”]
[tweetthis]Just knowing that God loves me so Is all I really need to know![/tweetthis]
[bctt tweet=”Today is a new dawn with new mercies. Forgetting my failures of the past, I begin again.” username=”effiedarlene”]
I would love to here about your journey; please scroll down and press the comment button below
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Jesus Christ, the Son; who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn (the sovereign, pre-eminent originator) of every creature (honored above all else): For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist (are held together in His hands) Colossians 1:15-17
In our finite human minds, it is hard to conceive the full providence of God’s will; to grasp the truth of His Sovereignty. We may look at the corridors of history and wonder how could it have existed with so much evil and tyranny. We see nations that rise and fall with great armies. Suffering exists all around us. Division and strife exists within every aspect of our world. We shutter at the very thought of the news which blares into our spirit with such sounds of fear, anguish, despair, and turmoil.
Yet, all things were created by Jesus Christ and for Him. The angels were created by Him as was the earth, the heavens. His providential hand has been the hand which has held it all together from the very beginning and will until the end of this era and into eternity.
Jonathan Edwards so beautifully wrote:
Christ has in all things the pre-eminence. For he is the great Redeemer; and therefore the work of redemption being the sum of God’s works of providence, shows the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, as being above all, and through all, and in all. …All other kingdoms fall, but his kingdom is the last, and never gives place to any other.
We see, that whatever changes there are, and however highly Christ’s enemies exalt themselves, yet he reigns in uncontrolled power and immense glory: in the end, his people are all perfectly saved and made happy, and all his enemies become his footstool. And thus God gives the world to his Son for his inheritance.
The consideration of what has been said, may greatly serve to show us the consistency, order, and beauty, of God’s works of providence. If we behold events in any other view, all will look like confusion, like the tossing of waves; things will look as though one confused revolution came to pass after another, merely by blind chance, without any regular or certain end. But if we consider the events of providence in the light in which they have been set before us, and in which the Scriptures set them before us, they appear an orderly series of events, all wisely directed in excellent harmony and consistence, tending all to one end. The wheels of providence are not turned round by blind chance, but are full of eyes round about, (as Ezekiel represents them,) and are guided by the Spirit of God: where the Spirit goes, they go. All God’s works of providence, through all ages, meet at last, as so many lines meeting in one centre. ((Improvement of the Whole, Part X) from the Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol 1
So, some would foolishly ask; “Then, did God create evil.” A thousand times no. God is perfect righteousness, perfect light. But just as darkness is the absence of light; so, evil is the absence of God. How can I as a God’s creature even know joy, love, or see the magnificence of God’s Glorious Grace; were I not to know the absence of such? Adam and Eve walked in the garden of Eden with God which by all scripture we know to have been the visible image of God (Jesus Christ). As an act of God’s Grace to allow them to demonstrate their pleasure in Him, to fully experience love toward Him and to know the joy of that love; He gave them one command. Not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Without that knowledge, they could live forever in His presence as they were innocent to the knowledge of a world without Him. Yet, as we know; without that knowledge, they really did not appreciate what they had, nor did they realize the fullness of joy that was theirs. If they had, they could not have sinned.
Before the earth was created and before Adam sinned; the plan for redemption by and through the suffering, the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ already existed. Before the world was born, God saw me, loved me and chose to endure all the ages that I might be saved. Sin, evil and the blatant rejection of His plan of salvation by so many causes great sorrow to God. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. All through the ages, God has patiently pleaded with the people of earth to turn to Him and chose His righteousness. He holds together the world; that, one more might find their joy, their fulfillment and their life in Him.
It begins by accepting by faith that God IS and that He has provided the only means of salvation through His Son.
[tweetthis]God IS Father, Son and Holy Spirit-Three in one (Body Soul and Spirit)[/tweetthis]
God IS Sovereign and all this will one day lead to the Sovereign Reign of Jesus Christ over His Eternal Kingdom
The questions are:
[tweetthis]Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life?[/tweetthis]
[bctt tweet=”In God we have our greatest treasure and nothing else on this earth matters as much as He.” username=”effiedarlene”]
[tweetthis]Do you trust God with all of your life; no matter what comes?[/tweetthis]
[tweetthis]Are you willing to lay down everything else to follow Him?[/tweetthis]
[bctt tweet=”Do you accept everything in your life as part of God’s plan for Your Good?” username=”effiedarlene”]
I would love to here about your journey; please scroll down to comment below
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Colossians 1:12-14
There is only one hope of salvation: redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ wherein our sins are forgiven. For each of us who know Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord; our hearts should be always overflowing with thankfulness and joy. That joy, that gratitude can be reflected in our desire to please Him by living a life reflecting my love, my trust, and my faith in His Sovereign will in my life. It should also reflect a love of God’s law and commandments. His law is not a burden upon the Christian, it is a guiding light to help us as we draw nearer to Him; wherein lies our joy, our hope and our sustaining love.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3
True prosperity is a life of peaceful contentment with God, filled with a heart that overflows God’s love to those around us. All too often, we think of prosperity as earthly riches; yet, they are nothing to compare to the spiritual and emotional riches of a life anchored in the Grace and Mercy of God’s Salvation.
As children of the Light, we must be about the work of spreading the gospel by planting the seeds of truth wherever we go. We cannot be swayed by “public opinion” nor by “political correctness”. That was the danger facing the early church in Colossae. Living in a multicultural society, as an act of love they were trying to be tolerant of other philosophies and ideologies. We are to demonstrate kindness, gentleness, and love; but we must at the same time our truest act of love is to proclaim the truth of the gospel. We need to live our lives in a manner that demonstrates the hope, the joy, and the love found in Christ. Continue reading How to Lovingly Stand for Truth When Society Says No→
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light Colossians 1:9-12
The power of intercessional prayer must never be underestimated. Paul began this letter to the church of Colossae praising them for their acts of love. He said that the report of their faith in Jesus Christ was even further displayed by their acts of love toward others and particularly their loving care of other Christians. Yet, Paul was well aware that the journey ahead for them as believers would be laden with obstacles, with ridicule, and with trials of their faith. There would be those who infiltrated their ranks with ideologies or philosophies which would attempt to undermine the truth of the gospel. For that reason, Paul said, we do not cease to pray for you.
