It's All about Jesus - Himalayan Heights – June 17 Readings: Colossians 1:21-23 – Reconciled

 

Colossians 1:15-2:15- Christ in You, Your Hope of Glory

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Colossians 1:21-23

The Colossian church was beset by heresy, one we do not know specifically. All we know for sure is that it hit at the heart of the Gospel and elevated other things above Jesus. Paul told them our faith was all about Jesus. He exalted Jesus and told them that Christ in them was their hope of glory.

Again, read the entire text of Colossians 1:15-2:15 every day, then focus on our featured passage during this week. This week, we exalt Jesus!

Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him— 23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 20-21, John 18:1–24, Psalm 74:1–9, Proverbs15:13–14

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: It's All About Jesus

Why does it matter so much what we believe about Jesus? Is it really so important that we have our theology of Jesus correct, that we know who he is and what he has done? In Colossae, certain people were introducing false ideas and Paul said it did matter. We must hold high Jesus Christ and keep our thoughts about him accurate.

We must keep our views of Jesus correct because everything God does in us, for us, and through us comes through Jesus Christ. This passage reminds us that we were born in a serious spiritual state. We are alienated from God, far away from him because of our sins. In fact, it is not just that we have drifted from him, but we are hostile, naturally resistant to the Lordship of Christ. Jesus desires to rule over us and our hearts fight it. We were helpless in our spiritual condition.

So, what did Jesus do? He reconciled us to God. We were far away and now we have a relationship with God because of him. He did this by receiving in his physical body the penalty of our sins and dying on the cross to pay for them.

The result of all of this is that those of us who were once alienated from God and hostile to him are now holy, faultless, and blameless. Our sins have been dealt with, our relationship to God is restored, and our future is guaranteed in Christ.

That is why it matters that we understand who Christ is and what the Bible says about him. That is why heresies such as the Colossian heresy matter, even if we do not know precisely what it was. Everything that matters in our lives is a result of the work of Christ. He is all in all. It is through Christ and the "hope of the gospel" that we have every good thing in life.

Father, I thank you that Jesus Christ has given us every good thing in life. 

Think and Pray:

Take time today to meditate on the work of Christ in your life and thank God for all Christ has done for you. 

Cosmic Irony of Redemption - Himalayan Heights – June 16 Readings: Colossians 1:18-20 – God’s Fullness

 

Colossians 1:15-2:15- Christ in You, Your Hope of Glory

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Colossians 1:18-20

The Colossian church was beset by heresy, one we do not know specifically. All we know for sure is that it hit at the heart of the Gospel and elevated other things above Jesus. Paul told them our faith was all about Jesus. He exalted Jesus and told them that Christ in them was their hope of glory.

Again, read the entire text of Colossians 1:15-2:15 every day, then focus on our featured passage during this week. This week, we exalt Jesus!

18 He is also the head of the body, the church;he is the beginning,the firstborn from the dead,so that he might come to have first place in everything.19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,20 and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven,by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 18-19, John 17, Psalm 73:25–28, Proverbs15:10–12

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: Cosmic Irony of Redemption    

Yesterday, we focused on Jesus, Lord of Creation, the firstborn, preeminent over all the earth. Today, in the passage in which Paul in correcting the heresy which was beginning to grow and spread in Colossae, he focuses on the fact that Jesus is Lord of the Church because he redeemed us through his blood.

The passage mentions several qualities that demonstrate the supremacy and greatness of Jesus, for which we ought to exalt and glorify our savior. He is the head of the church because he rose from the dead - the first to do so - and establish it by grace. This gives him an absolute right to have preeminence - first place - in all things. All of the fullness of the glory and character of God dwelt in him and through him, God reconciled the world to himself, by the blood he shed on the cross. Jesus is exalted and awesome - worthy of all of our praise.

And that is the irony.

In this world it is usually the weak person who seeks the favor of the strong, the poor person who curries favor with the rich, the powerless who seek to find their way into the good graces of those who hold power. Those who are powerful can ignore the "little people" and go on their way because they are so important.

That is not how Jesus did things. Consider all the words of praise offered about our Savior in these verses - he was presented as firstborn over creation and firstborn of the resurrection. He is Lord of all and his glory fills the earth. This awesome, glorious, powerful, infinite Savior and Lord of the universe cares about you and your needs. He loves you and seeks you and laid down his life for your good. The firstborn of all creation and the Lord of the church laid down his life for yours.

Can you fathom that?

Father, I thank you for the mighty grace of Jesus Christ who, though he is Lord of all, cares about me and my needs. He laid down his glorious life for my sinful life. 

Think and Pray:

Again, write down everything this passage says about Jesus and reflect on it.
Consider the irony of someone this eternally and universally great laying down his life for you. 

King of the Hill - Himalayan Heights – June 15 Readings: Colossians 1:15-17 – Firstborn

 

Colossians 1:15-2:15- Christ in You, Your Hope of Glory

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Colossians 1:15-17

The Colossian church was beset by heresy, one we do not know specifically. All we know for sure is that it hit at the heart of the Gospel and elevated other things above Jesus. Paul told them our faith was all about Jesus. He exalted Jesus and told them that Christ in them was their hope of glory.

Again, read the entire text of Colossians 1:15-2:15 every day, then focus on our featured passage during this week. This week, we exalt Jesus!

15 He is the image of the invisible God,the firstborn over all creation.16 For everything was created by him,in heaven and on earth,the visible and the invisible,whether thrones or dominionsor rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him.17 He is before all things,and by him all things hold together.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 16-17, John 16:16–33, Psalm 73:18–24, Proverbs15:8–9

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: King of the Hill 

Did you ever play "King of the Hill" when you were a kid? We'd find a pile of dirt or rocks and one guy would stand on top, declaring himself the king. Everyone else would try to scramble and scrape their way to the top, throwing down anyone who stands in the way.

In this world, this giant hill of dirt, there is a king already established - seated firmly on the throne. There is no threat to that throne, no one who can dislodge him from his place. The one who is king of the hill today will be tomorrow and for all time.

His name is Jesus.

Something had happened in Colossae and people had forgotten that. They were focused on other things - festivals, rituals, myths, arcane teachings. They'd forgotten Jesus and that was a mistake that Paul did not want anyone to make because everything was about him. The world exists for him, and he is the one who has done everything needed for our lives both eternally and temporally.

Colossians 1:15-20 describes the greatness and glory of Christ, exalting him as preeminent over all things on this earth - the king of this entire hill. Today's reading focuses on his prominence over this creation. Whatever the Colossian heresy was, it likely had gnostic ideas interwoven, and saw Jesus in a very reduced role, as a sort of secondary power in the cosmos. Paul blew that idea to pieces. He is the image of God and was present for creation. This world belongs to him as the firstborn - a word that describes his rights as owner. He holds this world together.

He stands atop the heap and rules this world. He is the undisputed king of all that is. The idea that we could live happy, fulfilled, productive lives without giving all to him, without trusting him, without seeking him, is absurd. This entire universe is about Jesus and our lives will only make sense when they are about Jesus too.

Father, thank you for your Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is supreme not only over the entire universe but also over my heart. 

Think and Pray:

Take time today to write down each of the character qualities of Jesus listed in these verses, then reflect on what they mean for the way you live your life. 

When You Feel Like Giving Up - Himalayan Heights – June 14 Readings: 1 Corinthians 15:58 – Stand Firm

 

1 Corinthians 15 - Our Risen Lord

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  1 Corinthians 15:58

1 Corinthians 15 explores the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I would encourage you to read the entire chapter daily, then to focus more closely on the selected text

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 14-15, John 15:18–16:15, Psalm73:11–17, Proverbs 15:5–7

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional:  When You Feel Like Giving Up   

In verses 51-57, Paul teaches us about the trumpets sounding and us being taken in a twinkling of eye into the presence of God, being changed instantly. He lays out the future change that will take place when our bodies that are currently so prone to corruption and death will be made immortal and incorruptible. Then, in verse 58, he summarizes the chapter by telling the Corinthians how they should respond to these teachings about the end times.

Oddly, he doesn't tell us to get excited about the details and to show morbid interest in every arcane and intricate controversy related to the end. Students of end-times things often get sidetracked by the minutiae. He doesn't tell us to be afraid either. A lot of Christians become fearful about what is happening in the world, getting wrapped up in conspiracy theories and panicking at the spread of evil. We often spend our time arguing over whether my system is correct or yours is.

But the instruction Paul gives here is clear, and it is essentially the same admonition he gives every time he talks about the end times. After describing the coming of Christ in the clouds in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul says this in verse 18. "Therefore encourage one another with these words." In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul warns of the coming of the lawless one who will seek to deceive the world and then tells the people to "stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught."

Here, after regaling the Corinthians about the importance of the resurrection and how it guarantees our future resurrection and glorification, Paul commands that believers "be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord." Knowing about our future in Christ and considering the end times should not so much inspire speculation and controversy, but passion and diligence in the service of the Lord. 

Why? Because we know that our work for Christ is not empty or meaningless. Sometimes, our service for Christ seems pointless and ineffective. People reject us and the world is moving in the wrong direction, but Jesus wins and will stand victorious. The resurrection and the second coming and our future glory gives meaning and hope and purpose to all we do. 

Don't give up no matter how hard it seems. Even when things are tough and the world is discouraging, there is an eternal future that makes all you do serving Christ meaningful. 

Father, thank you for eternity which gives meaning and hope and purpose to this difficult world. 

Think and Pray:

Do you ever feel like giving up?
Remember and meditate on the fact that our future hope in Christ gives meaning and purpose to our life today. 

Victory in Jesus Himalayan Heights – June 13 Readings: 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 – Twinkling of an Eye

 

1 Corinthians 15 - Our Risen Lord

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  1 Corinthians 15:51-57

1 Corinthians 15 explores the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I would encourage you to read the entire chapter daily, then to focus more closely on the selected text

Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53 For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place:

Death has been swallowed up in victory.
   55 Where, death, is your victory?
Where, death, is your sting?

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 12-13, John 15:1–17, Psalm 73:4–10, Proverbs15:3–4

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: Victory in Jesus    

These last few days I have been focused almost completely on death, spending time with my mom and dad who are living out their final days. We know all the truths as believers - that Jesus rose from the dead and because of him, we will be resurrected one day as well. He gives meaning and purpose to our lives by the life he lived, the death he died, and the resurrection he experienced from the dead.

Even knowing all of that, death still bites hard and hurts us. It causes fear and pain and sorrow, even to those who know that there is a life after death and a hope beyond the grave. Even Jesus wept at the grave of a loved one. Our God doesn't demand that we pretend that the death of one we love is insignificant or inconsequential. It is, as Revelation says, the final enemy to be destroyed.

What Paul affirms in these verses is a great comfort, though. For those who believe in Jesus Christ and have been redeemed by him, death has been ultimately, eternally, and infinitely defeated. Look at Paul's taunt of death, taken from Hosea 13 and Isaiah 25. Death has been defeated and its sting has been removed.

For us, as believers, death can take us, but it cannot sting us. Because our sin has been dealt with by Jesus Christ at the cross, there is no condemnation and at death, we are ushered into rest, into the presence of God, into glory. My body, which is daily showing evidence of its corruptibility and mortality will become incorruptible and immortal. Death and decay and aging and all the effects of sin will no longer have any impact on me because of Jesus Christ.

This is the ultimate victory. We may not be able to avoid death, but we can face it knowing that it has been defeated by our Savior.

Father, I thank you for your Son and the victory he gives over our ultimate enemy, death. He has removed the sting of death and given us hope beyond the grave. 

Think and Pray:

Do you fear death?
Knowing what the Bible says about death, why do you fear it, if you do?
Consider these truths carefully and prayerfully today. 

A Destiny beyond Understandiing - Himalayan Heights – June 12 Readings: 1 Corinthians 15:35-50 – Resurrection Body

 

1 Corinthians 15 - Our Risen Lord

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  1 Corinthians 15:35-50

1 Corinthians 15 explores the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I would encourage you to read the entire chapter daily, then to focus more closely on the selected text

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?” 36 You fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the body that will be, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he wants, and to each of the seeds its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones. 41 There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; in fact, one star differs from another star in splendor. 42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; 43 sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; 44 sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual. 

47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. 

50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 10-11, John 14, Psalm 73:1–3, Proverbs15:1–2

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: A Destiny Beyond Understanding 

You fool!

That is harsh way to address someone who is inquiring about what things will be like in heaven, but that was the word Paul chose in verse 36 responding to the questions asked in verse 35. How are the dead raised? What kind of body do they have? It seems a little extreme to call them fools, but that is exactly what Paul does.

I don't think he was intending to insult them, only to make the point that speculation about heavy is vain, pointless. It is so far outside of our experience that we cannot even understand it. I can grasp, to a small, horrific extent, the concept of eternal suffering in hell. I have endured physical pain and I know sin and guilt, so hell is within the general realm of my experience. I do not like to think about it and it is horrible to consider, but it is something I can gain at least a small grasp on if I try. Not so with heaven. A place without sin, with neverending glory and ceaseless praise of God? This does not compute.

Paul uses the illustration of a seed and a plant. I just put my tomatoes in the ground last week. I cheated. I bought plants that someone else had grown and replanted them. In the past, I've tried the seedling thing and been remarkably unsuccessful. Imagine, though, a tomato seed - small, white, roundish thing. Looking at that, can you imagine that is will spring up into a large green bush with tasty red fruit? It seems unlikely, but that is exactly what happens - hopefully!

My body today is the seed. One of these days, sooner or later, my life will be over and my body will be planted as a seed. What is going to grow from that seed will be as different as a tomato seed is from a tomato plant. I will still, I believe, be Dave, with an identity, but my existence will be so different from what I am now that speculation about it is, well, foolish.

We have kind of a running joke in my Bible study groups. They ask me questions and I often give them the same definitive answer. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. There is so much that we do not know from God's word. He tells us much that we can learn from and grow in Christ - everything we need for life, for salvation, for godliness. But the things of eternity are beyond our grasp.

What I know is this, and being in a house with two parents who are days or weeks from the end of their race, it is a great comfort. One day, this life will end and our bodies will be planted. Jesus Christ will receive to himself the souls of those who trust in him. The grave will hold our bodies until the appointed time then Jesus will raise us from the dead and we will have new bodies, glorified bodies, perfect bodies, sinless bodies.

How will God accomplish this? I'm no fool - I'm not going to try to explain that. What will our resurrection bodies be like? I'm no fool (at least I try not to be). Don't ask me. But they will be immortal, untouched by sin, and fit for eternal glory. Praise God. That's good enough for me. 

Father, I thank you for the glorious future you have awaiting me, even if it is one I do not and cannot comprehend. 

Think and Pray:

Consider the glorious future awaiting you and thank God for it. 

Without an Empty Tomb - Himalayan Heights – June 11 Readings: 1 Corinthians 15:29-34 – Good Sense

 

1 Corinthians 15 - Our Risen Lord

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  1 Corinthians 15:29-34

1 Corinthians 15 explores the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I would encourage you to read the entire chapter daily, then to focus more closely on the selected text

Otherwise what will they do who are being baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I face death every day, as surely as I may boast about you, brothers and sisters, in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus as a mere man, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Come to your senses and stop sinning; for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame.

NOTE:  This passage refers to being "Baptized for the dead," and is one of those passages that confuses commentators. Read 10 commentaries and you will likely find 12 opinions on what this means. A few observations.

• This is illustrative. Paul is emphasizing the importance of the resurrection here and using a practice they knew about to do so. 
• Nowhere does the Bible command or authorize being baptized for the dead. Each of us must come to God on our own and this verse is not telling us that we can be baptized to save others. 
• There is a principle of interpretation that is helpful. Interpret confusing and difficult passages in the light of clear passages. This difficult passage is not sufficient upon which to build a doctrine. 
• No other verse in the Bible mentions being baptized for the dead. 

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 6-9, John 13:21–38, Psalm 72:11–20, Proverbs14:33–35

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: Without an Empty Tomb    

Upon first glance, this paragraph seems to be an odd assortment of unrelated ideas. What do the strange idea of baptism for the dead, fighting wild beasts in Ephesus, eating and drinking, and hanging around with the wrong kind of people have in common? The text appears disjointed until you remember that the common thread running through all of 1 Corinthians 15 is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, that truth is the meaning behind everything else.

• While Paul is not endorsing the practice of baptism for the dead, he recognized that it was something practiced in Corinth. When the Corinthians came to Christ, they realized that their parents and grandparents and other loved ones had died without knowing Christ, so evidently they practiced baptism vicariously, in hopes that their baptisms would bring salvation to those who had gone on before. Paul's point was simple: if there is no resurrection of the dead, the practice is empty. He didn't command it or commend it, but he used it to illustrate the centrality of the resurrection. 
• Paul lived daily with the threat of death. Read 2 Corinthians 11 to be reminded of the suffering he went through in the name of Christ. He mentions battling wild beasts in Ephesus. Some take that literally while others believe the wild beasts refer to people who treated him badly. But he endured the suffering because the resurrection awaited him, because eternity would make it worth it. 
• The reference to eating and drinking is sarcastic. If there is no resurrection from the dead, if this life is all there is, if we do not stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give account, then we may as well enjoy all of life's pleasures, deny ourselves nothing, and just have fun. It is because of eternity that we sacrifice and practice self-denial. 
• His last statement showed some frustration. This verse has been used generally through the years. "Bad company corrupts good character" has been quoted to countless teens who are starting to hang out with the wrong crowd. Here, though, Paul is speaking about people who deny the resurrection. Don't let them in your church, don't listen to them, don't hang with them, because they will corrupt your character. There can be no Christian virtue apart from the resurrected Lord Jesus. 

Paul proclaimed the unity of the Body of Christ and constantly enjoined love and forgiveness and compassion and gentleness. Not here. On this doctrine - the resurrection of Jesus and of those who trust in him - Paul was anything but tolerant. This is the fundamental doctrine of our faith. "We serve a Risen Savior." 

On this doctrine, we brook no difference of opinion. Without an Empty Tomb, we have an empty faith.

Father, I thank you that Jesus rose up from the grave in power and glory and that because of him, I have hope and a future. 

Think and Pray:

Consider what difference the resurrection of Jesus Christ makes in your faith and in your life.