These devotionals will serve as a guide for your time with the Lord
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Opening Prayer -- Song: "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing"  Devotional #31: "Jesus, Head of the Church"
ScriptureColossians 1:15-20 (ESV)
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[a] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Devotional #31: "Jesus, Head of the Church"The world looks at the Church as just another religious organization, a place where people look for moral guidance and personal grounding. Scripture teaches that that Church is a living organism, brought to life not by human ingenuity, but through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Each member of the Church has been called by God and born anew, no longer a citizen of the present world, but a citizen of heaven.
Colossians 1:18 likens the Church to a body with Jesus being the head. The Church does not function according to her own desires, but seeks to submit herself to Jesus, her sovereign Lord. The will of our Savior is revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures and each of us are to submit to it. Our joyful duty is to read the Word and to conform our will to His. In so doing, we become like Christ and shine as bright stars to a world that needs our Savior. Questions
Devotional #32: "Jesus, Firstborn From The Dead"
ScriptureColossians 1:15-20 (ESV)
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[a] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Devotional #32: "Jesus, Firstborn from the Dead"Colossians 18 calls Jesus the Firstborn from the Dead. When Jesus died and resurrected, He became the first of a new humanity. Romans 8:29 refers to Him as the “firstborn among many brothers.” All of us were dead in our sins—destined for judgement, but Jesus became the first to awaken and pave the path for salvation for all of us. Romans 5:12-19 speaks of Jesus being the Second Adam, the one who succeeded in fulfilling the law, where the former failed. We can think of Jesus as the first fulfilled human! All of us who believe in the Lord are no longer united to the failures of Adam and Eve but are now a part of the lineage of the New Adam. Being human means being in covenant with our perfect and loving Creator. Knowing God and being known by Him, loving His Church, and proclaiming the good news are what makes us human.
Questions
Devotional #33: "Jesus, Reconciler of All Things"
ScriptureColossians 1:15-20 (ESV)
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[a] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Devotional #33: "Jesus, Reconciler of All Things"Finally, the hymn speaks of Jesus as being the one who reconciles all things to himself, “whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross” (Colossians 1:20). First, we see once again that Jesus is the endpoint of the reconciliation. All things will be reconciled to bring him glory. Second, all things will be reconciled through him. Jesus is the agency by which all things are reconciled. Jesus’ spilled blood on the cross in the final and all-sufficient act of reconciliation. We do not need to add any human acts nor does God need to perform any more miracles or acts of love. The cross is the final word in the story of redemption. Third, all things that are to be reconciled will be. Nothing will be left behind. Not only God’s people, but all of creation will be redeemed. All of creation has been eagerly groaning for the sons of God to be revealed—us! (Romans 8:19). When we are redeemed all of creation will be redeemed as well.
Questions
Prayer Time (Closing prayer by head of household) -- Lord's Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
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