Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. Col 1:15

I pray you had great worship on this past Lord’s Day in your local church! Our passage this morning reminds us that God made it possible for us to have intimacy with Him through His Son Jesus. We are created in the image of God to experience Him through full and meaningful relationships. So much of life is experienced through our 5 basic senses. Our sense taste, touch, smell, hearing, and sight. These senses inform us, protect us, and provide meaning to our life and at times, even make us feel fulfilled.

Over the past year we have heard of loved ones who described the temporarily lost of their sense of smell and their sense of taste while infected by the virus. They described the painful suffering, lack of comfort and how the loss of senses made life a dark place during this time. We have so many loved ones, family, friends and neighbors who are infected by the virus of sin, suffering in darkness, and medicated by the passions of the world. They battle against the shadows of darkness, manage life to suppress fears and failures while misled by passions and seeking even greater pleasure in life. It is only when our eyes are opened to the “invisible God” through faith in Jesus Christ that we can know, sense, and experience the fullness of life and be comforted by the eternal hope that God provided through His Son. Jesus “is the image of the invisible God.” Faith in Him is the “substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” Heb 11:1.

We can know God, be comforted by His Presence, and experience Him fully through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus came that we might have life and through Him we can life in its fullness. God is revealed through Jesus. Jesus is the Image of the Invisible God. Father, bless the readers and doers of Your word in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and the Father, and of Christ;” (Colossians 2:2).

Regardless of our education, social background, different countries, or cultures, every Christian believer’s heart is knit together in Christian love. As Christians, we share a common bond which is the love of Christ Jesus. In this text, the apostle Paul encourages the believers at Colosse to fully understand the Lord Jesus Christ. The richness of Christ comes when we have a clear understanding of our place in Christ and a clear understanding of Christian principles and the teachings of Christ. When we are rich in our understanding, we will not fall for the poor lies of this world. The mystery of God is Christ Jesus, my friend; may I encourage you this morning to continue to discover the “mystery” of God (Christ Jesus) through His Word. satan is a liar and the father of lies, but the more we know and understand Christ, we can identify his lies. Father, I pray this morning that our hearts will continue to grow in the love that “knits” all believers together. May we grow in our understanding of your Son Jesus Christ to identify the poor false teachings that are presenting themselves in these last days. Be Blessed in Jesus’ Name!

“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity (sin) so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth, that on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell” (James 3:6).

James begins chapter 3 speaking of the many animals man has been able to control, such as bits in a horse’s mouth turn the horse in the desired direction, ships are controlled by a small helm, but the human tongue often goes untamed. The tongue is like “fire” a little small blaze can destroy a lot of property. Our tongue is a very small member of our body; however, the potential for danger great. My friend, what makes the tongue of man so untamable? The tongue can be full of unrighteousness and wrongdoings. The tongue is full of sin (iniquity); it has the potential to speak falsehood and filth. The tongue can be smooth as butter and sharp as a knife. How can such a small member of the human body have such power to control our destiny? “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil., full of deadly poison” (v.8). The greatest of men have succumbed to the power of the tongue. We often say things we end up regretting; most of the time, as soon as the words have parted our lips, we regret the unruly tongue. “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessings and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (v.10). May we pray together this morning that God would control our tongue and that our tongue would be given the power to build up and not tear down. May our tongue be used for lifting up our brothers/sisters; may our tongue be used to encourage and not discourage. May our tongue be used to praise God and thank Him for His many blessings. Father, I pray for our readers this morning to submit our thinking and the words we speak to the Holy Ghost. May we speak life and not death; may we speak blessings and not curses in the life of those we come in contact with. Be Blessed in Jesus’ Name!