You may have heard the phrase “life is found in Jesus,” but if you’re honest, it might seem somewhat vague. What does it mean that true life comes from Jesus? How do we tangibly understand this concept?
Consider a thought exercise: imagine if the entire world lost electricity. The implications are staggering. Our water filtration systems and sewage pumps would cease to function. Food preservation would become impossible as refrigerators and freezers stop working. Grocery stores would also lose the ability to keep food fresh. Cooking food would require a fire since microwaves and stoves would be useless. Access to money would be cut off—no credit or debit card transactions, and ATM machines would be inoperable. Perhaps most daunting for many of us, our phones and computers would be dead.
A long-term, complete power outage is a frightening scenario. Our dependence on electricity is so profound that living without it seems impossible. Our very lives depend on the continuous flow of electric power.
Over the next few weeks, we will turn to Colossians 1, where Paul encourages us to marvel at the fact that Jesus is the author of life. Jesus is a surging power source upon which our entire existence depends. Paul wants us to grasp how profoundly our lives are influenced by the life of Jesus. His goal in presenting Jesus this way is to persuade us to forsake seeking life in anything or anyone else but Jesus.
If asked to list the ways you depend on electricity, you could easily come up with numerous reasons why it is vital for your survival. If we understood reality from God’s perspective, we would be able to do the same with Jesus. In Colossians 1:15-20, we will explore how the life of Jesus pulses out with power and energy essential for our survival. More than we often realize, we are deeply dependent on Him.
If you find yourself uncertain about how life is found in Jesus or if you sense that you need God’s life to be poured out into yours, then let’s explore six aspects of the life of Jesus together that pulse out toward us to give us life. For today, join me in reading Colossians 1:15-20 and begin thinking about how profound this is for all of life.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by 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. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 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. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:15-20
