Colossians 1-2 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Colossians 1:1-2:23.

“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:11-12).

In baptism we are circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands. In baptism, the body of the flesh is put off, the old man is crucified. According to Colossians 2:13-14, we are forgiven in baptism and made alive through baptism (not before). When we are baptized the record of debt that stood against us is canceled. Amazing.

Sadly, not many today recognize the very clear teaching of this passage. Why? Because too many people who do recognize it have put their faith in the wrong thing and taught this passage incorrectly. Too many people who recognize the wonderful things that happen in baptism have put their faith in the wrong place. They have put their faith in baptism.

Seeker: “Why are you saved?”

Christian: “Because I got baptized.”

Do you see the problem? When I put my faith in baptism, I’m actually putting my faith in my work. But notice what Paul said. He didn’t say we were “raised with him through faith in the powerful working of our obedience.” He said we were “raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God.” Where is your faith? In your baptism? In your praying? In your experiences? Or in God? When our faith is in the powerful working of God, we’ll get baptized because we know that is when God does His powerful work of circumcising the old body of the flesh, forgiving us, canceling our debt, and making us a live with Christ. We didn’t do that by baptism; God did.

Where is your faith?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click here to add your input.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Today’s reading is Matthew 27:1-28:20.

“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen…’” (Matthew 28:5-6).

Is there any greater news on which to base our day? There is an empty tomb outside Jerusalem. No amount of searching is going to find the body of Jesus. Despite the lies of the guards, no one ever produced the body of Jesus. No DNA research will ever find Jesus.

I can live today, because Jesus lives today. I serve a risen Savior, not a dead prophet. I serve a risen Savior, not an imaginary god. I serve a risen Savior, not some mythical concept. I can turn to Jesus for strength and help. I can face today and tomorrow because He lives.

He is risen. Praise God.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Luke 23:1-24:53.

I can hardly fathom, hanging on a cross in immense torment and agony, dying, but then crying out, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46). What absolute trust. What absolute surrender.

Jesus was quoting Psalm 31:5. Just listen to the beginning of that Psalm: “In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.”

We know how the story ends so this statement may not seem as powerful as it really was. Having seen the end, we know Jesus was wise to commit His spirit into the Father’s hands. He was going to be resurrected on the third day. He was going to be delivered. But thing of this from the stand point of hanging on the cross. Think of this from the standpoint of being in the midst of the separation of the Father. How hard it must have been to look at the big picture of where all this would lead when distracted by the intense agony both physically and spiritually. Yet, Jesus trusted the Father.

I need to learn this kind of trust. Letting God be my refuge doesn’t mean I’ll never suffer. It means I know God will use it for good and I trust His knowledge of the big picture of my life, the lives around me, and eternity.

This helps me knowing that God if God is letting me go through some suffering, He has His reasons that will be for my good in the long run. When I actually have this concept firmly in my mind and heart, it produces a peace that passes understanding. I don’t have to live in fear that something awful might happen. If it does, I can know that God is working. He is my refuge. He is my stronghold. He is my deliverer. Instead of taking my spirit into my own hands, I can commit it into the hands of my loving, faithful Creator who really does have my best intentions at heart.

I’m going to make this prayer of Jesus a regular prayer for me, especially if I’m in the midst of something that I don’t like.

Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Revelation 5:1-6:17.

Yesterday, I saw that the Father was worthy of worship because of His creative power. Today, I see the Son. He is also worthy. The text says, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Revelation 5:12). The text goes on to say, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13). Then the elders fell down and worshiped. In context, they were worshiping both of those they claimed to be worthy of honor and glory. They worshiped Father and Son. The Father is worthy of worship because of His creative power. The Son is worthy of worship because of His life giving work on the cross.

Revelation 5:9-10 says, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Jesus didn’t die to save the Jewish nation. He was sacrificed so people from all tribes and nations could be saved through Him. I’m thankful. That includes me. 

Today, I need to honor and glorify Jesus because of the life He has given me. I need to acknowledge Him. I need to thank Him. He is worthy.

***Question: What do you do to honor Jesus every day?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Matthew 27:1-28:20.

As Jesus hung on the cross, the crowds mocked Him and cried out, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” “Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.”

That would have been tough for me. My thought would be, “These guys think I’m lying. After all I’ve done, I’ll show them.” I would have wanted to vindicate myself. I would have wanted to prove I was right. I would have wanted to make everyone who doubted me look silly.

But that wasn’t Jesus. He wasn’t here to make everyone believe Him. He was here to do God’s will. So what if everyone believed He was the Son of God. If He came off that cross, God’s plan would not have taken place. I don’t want to get into the metaphysical discussions of whether or not Jesus could have come down from the cross based on prophecy, God’s foreknowledge, etc. Those are the kinds of questions that just confuse the issue. All I know is instead of defending Himself, Jesus simply obeyed God.

I need to work on that. I need to quit worrying about whether or not people think I’m right. I need to quit worrying about having to win all the arguments. I need to quit worrying about feeling the need to prove myself. I just need to get into God’s word, learn God’s plan, and surrender to God’s will. Like Jesus, I need to commit my spirit into the Father’s hands and let Him deal with what everyone else thinks about it.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Luke 23:1-24:53.

First, let me say congratulations. You’ve stuck with this reading program for 2 1/2 weeks and have completed our first book. Keep up the good work. Second, if you have faltered and let the habit slide already, don’t fret. Just pick it up again. We start Acts next. Get right back into it.

Now, to what struck me in today’s reading.

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

Who knows how many times I’ve read this passage? How easy it is to just slide right over it thinking, “Oh yeah, Jesus’ spirit is going to God.” For some reason it grabbed me today.

If for just a moment, I forget that I already know the big picture plan and what Jesus will do on the third day, this statement becomes utterly stunning. Part of me (too big of a part) wonders if I could possibly make the same claim. Commit my spirit to a Father who seems to have forsaken me (cf. Matthew 27:46)? Commit my spirit to a Father who has let me be beaten, mocked, ridiculed, spat upon, scourged, railed at, abandoned and then killed torturously? Yet, even though the Father has allowed all that to happen, Jesus still says, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” 

I wonder, when I face death, will I be able to say that? Here’s the key for Jesus. This wasn’t His first moment of committing His spirit to the Father. That was how He lived His life. This was nothing new for Him. It was the extension of a committed life. In fact, Jesus is actually quoting Psalm 31:5. That psalm was not merely talking about handing the spirit over to the Father at death. It was talking about a life of trusting God. In that life, the enemies rail and fight. The speaker has become a reproach. He had even been forgotten by his friends. Yet, he did not falter. God was his refuge, his rock, his fortress. When attacked, God was the place he fled for safety. When harmed, God was the place he retreated for succor and comfort. He did not turn from God when the attacks came, he went deeper into God.

Jesus adopts not just this one line from the psalm but the message of the psalm. Jesus is not merely saying, “I’m about to die so My spirit will come to you.” Jesus is saying that in the face of the dreadful attacks on Him that are leading to His death, He still trusts the Father. As has always been the case, the Father is His refuge, His rock, His fortress. The reason He has gone through this horrendous incarnation ending in horrifying death is because He trusts the Father with His spirit. He knows the Father’s way works.

I need constantly to look to that example. The Father’s way works. Instead of rebelling against Him in my spirit, I need to commit my spirit to Him. I need to let Him guide my spirit. I need to flee to Him for safety. I need to retreat to Him for succor and comfort. I need to depend on Him though everything else around me fails. 

The economy can crash and I may lose every bit of money and material goods I have, but God will hold me in His hand. My friends may abandon me, but God will never forsake me. My foes may attack me, but God will shield me. My body may fail me little by little, but God will be my strength. And, as with Jesus, if I surrender my spirit to the Father, on the day it is separated from my body, He will take it home to be with Him.

Praise you, God, may I ever commit my spirit to You!

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get from today’s reading?

I can hardly fathom how it happened. The Jewish crowd had two men in front of them. One of those men had really and truly been involved in rebellion and insurrection. One had actually killed people. The other one had preached a message of peace and submission to others. One had brought people back to life. Just days earlier these very same crowds had been proclaiming this miracle worker was the descendent of David. He had never done anything worthy of death and even Pilate realized that.

Pilate gave the crowd an option. He could release Barabbas, the insurrectionist and murderer, or he could release Jesus, the man they had praised just days earlier. The other one would be delivered for a torturous death by crucifixion. How on earth could the crowds ever be stirred up to release Barabbas and pick Jesus to be crucified? How could they look at Jesus, a man who had taught in their synagogues, who had healed their sick, cast out demons, raised the dead and in so many other ways demonstrated Himself to be the Messiah for whom they looked, and pick Him to die. Nevertheless, that was the choice they made.

I can hardly fathom how it happened. God had two men in front of Him. One of those men had really and truly been involved in rebellion and sin. He had lied, stolen, cheated, lusted, committed immorality, coveted and pursued his own arrogant path of self-service in many other ways. The wages of his sins were death. The other one only ever lived to please the Father. He submitted and obeyed. He had never done anything worthy of death and God realized that.

But, God had an option. He could free and give life to me, the sinner and rebel, or He could leave Jesus alone. The other one would be delivered to a torturous spiritual death of separation from the Father. How in heaven could God ever be stirred to set me free by picking His only begotten Son, Jesus, for death? How could God look at Jesus, a Son who had only ever faithfully served Him, and put Him on the cross and then turn His face from Him? 

The crowds made their choice because of selfish envy. God made His choice because of selfless love. I have always been intrigued by the fact that Barabbas’ name means “son of the Father.” Because of Jesus’ death, I am now a son of the Father. I do not know how the Father, Son and Spirit could have so much love to let Jesus take my place. I just know I’m glad God did.

I don’t know how Barabbas turned out. Was he changed by this experience? Or did he simply go back and plot more rebellion? I can’t answer how Barabbas responded. I can only determine how I will respond. God put Jesus on the cross where I should be. Will I just keep on sinning and rebelling, spurning the sacrifice God offered for me? Or will I strive to become like Jesus who sacrificed Himself for me?

Keep the faith and keep reading.

ELC

I’m sure you already knew when you read today’s chapters that I would be drawn to Romans 5:6-8.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die–but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”(ESV).

Jesus died for the ungodly. That is, we were not pious and reverent. Jesus didn’t die because we were spiritual enough. Jesus died while we were weak. He didn’t die because we were strong enough. Jesus died while we were still sinners. He didn’t die because we measured up enough. He didn’t look down and say, “For all of you who make the grade, pass the final cut, stand out and measure up, I’m sending my Son.” Jesus died for you, He died for me by virtue of nothing about us, but about God’s love for us. God loves you. You are worth a Son to God.

Most of the time, I think I’m not worth much. I need to read this passage everyday to remind me that to God, I was worth so much, He sacrificed His Son to buy me back from the devil when I so willingly sold myself into his bondage.

Thank you God for loving me. Help me love You.

Keep the faith and keep reading,
ELC