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For 2017, the phrase I am focusing on is "in Christ."  Each week, I will post verse(s) that includes the phrase "in Christ". I look forward to growing in understanding of what it means to be "in Christ." 24  Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25  of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26  the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27  To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28  Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29  For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully work...

God's Word is full of promises of what Christ has DONE. Here are some selected promises of God from Colossians compiled by Kenneth Boa: The Father has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light (1:12) God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (1:13). We have been reconciled to God through Christ’s death so that we can be presented as holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation (1:22). The riches of God’s mystery are Christ in us, the hope of glory (1:27). In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and we have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority (2:10). When we were dead in our sins, God made us alive with Christ and forgave us all our sins (2:13). We have been raised with Christ; we died, and our life is now hidden with Christ i...

I am slowly working my way through Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith.  This week, the word is "Set."  I am going to share two quotes this week-one today and one tomorrow.  Come back tomorrow for a great devotion to start your day.  But here is a quote to help better understand what it means to "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:2) "When it comes down to it, living the Christian life is simply a matter of where we set our minds. Every waking moment we have a choice about where, and on what, we will set our minds. That is something we are free to do. Having been raised with Christ and forgiven forever, and having Jesus with us in all that we do, the primary practice of living as a Christian boils down to what we think about, what we dwell on, what values we keep before our minds, what truths (or lies) we have in our consciousness." Stop by tomorrow for a reflection of how to do this!

I am continuing to read through Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith.  What a blessing this devotional has been to me already.  This week's chapter is "With".  Here are a few Scriptures: Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, (Colossians 3:1) and they will call him Immanuel ” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 1:23) which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) So as you go through your day today, focus on the fact that God is with you in all things.  He is with you at work, the store, the pool, ballgame, in the middle of an argument, when you are afraid, when you are sad, etc.  You are never alone and that is great news!

Tullian Tchividjian closes his book, Jesus + Nothing = Everything with two great chapters, but I wanted to share some thoughts specifically from Chapter 11.  In this chapter, he challenges us not to just know this information, but live it.  I again recommend this book to all of you.  Here are my final quotes from this book: "It's one thing to affirm the gospel; it's something altogether different to experience its power where the rubber meets the road of life." "my passion, as a preacher and a pastor and a Christian, is to show others how the gospel of grace really speaks with practical hope into everything that fallen people will face in this broken world." "Paul doesn't pray that the Colossians will find something they don't have; rather he prays they'll grow in their awareness and understanding of what they already have." "Bad behavior happens when we fail to believe that everything we need, in Christ we already have; it...

On Thursday, I was reading Chapter 8 from Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian.  I highly recommend this book to everyone.  It would be good for Christians and non-Christians. Here are a few quotes: "Therefore, focusing on rules and regulations means missing Jesus altogether." "The gospel, on the other hand, always addresses the root of the problem. And the root of the problem is not bad behavior." "We tend to think of the gospel as God's program to make bad people good, not dead people alive. The fact is, Jesus came first to effect a mortal resurrection, not a moral reformation, as his own death and resurrection demonstrate." "Moral renovation, in other words, is to refocus our eyes away from ourselves to that Man's obedience, to that Man's cross, to that Man's blood-to that Man's death and resurrection!" "if the focus is on what you must do instead of what Jesus had already done, it's anti-gospel....

I am in the process of reading Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian.  Chapter 6 was a great reminder of the great news of the gospel for you and me.  Tchividjian shares how Colossians 1 rocked his world as he went through a difficult situation in his church.  I have listed the verses he refers to below. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. As you read these words, I would encourage you ask yourself the following questions:   Do you feel worthy?  Are you worried about how sin disqualifies you?  Are you part of the family of God?  Do you feel shame or the need to prove yourself to God ...

" Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful ." Colossians 4:2 I read these words as part of my daily Bible reading yesterday. They really resonated with me personally as well as in ministry. However, I discovered today that I actually read the wrong book. I was supposed to read 1 Thessalonians, but instead read Colossians . So, I think the Holy Spirit directed me to this passage for a reason. As I read these words, I think about my church. About 3 months ago, I challenged the congregation to pray faithfully during our transition and search for a lead pastor. I hope this challenge is being followed through on. However, I know myself and know I sometimes forget so I am going to post again the prayer guidelines that I shared on May 2 nd . Please be praying for Hesston MB church and know that Satan likes to create chaos and problems during transitions such as this. Before I post the insert, a couple of quick observations. First, we are to devote...