Tuesday November 7, 2023

Today is Tuesday, November 7 and we are studying what the Bible says about authority.

I come to find the quiet center, a sacred space amid a busy life where I am able to just be with God. I silence my thoughts, focus my mind and slow my breathing as I welcome his loving presence.

Pause and Pray

Holy and Loving God, you are Lord of my life and Shepherd of my soul. I surrender myself to you and submit to your authority. Speak into my life and circumstances. I am eager to receive whatever you have to offer. Amen.

I worship God and praise his holy name with the ancient words of Psalm 63.

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:2-4

Pause and Pray

The authority of God in Christ is absolute. In his letter to the Christians in Colossae, Paul praises the lordship of Christ. He does so in a strongly moving and poetic manner. Christ is the Lord over all Creation. Jesus is the maker, overseer and upholder of all things in the universe. Jesus did not come into existence when he was born in a manger in Bethlehem. He was with God at the creation of the world. He was preexistent and one with God from the beginning. This is how we understand the doctrine of the Trinity and the Lordship of Jesus Christ as One with God for all time.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 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 and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. Colossians 1:15-18

Jesus was not merely a human man who taught important ethical teachings centuries ago. He is much more. Jesus is one with God the Father and brought the Creation into being. He is over all things. He is over all earthly kingdoms and powers. He is over all churches – every steeple, every denomination, every nation, every language. Everything and everyone is to acknowledge his authority and power. He is Lord of all. He is the one to worship and serve. He is the image of the one true God.

Ask: What does the power and supremacy of Christ mean for me personally? How well do I submit to the authority of Jesus in my life?

Pause and Pray

Jesus, you are mighty, you are holy and you are Lord. Everything in heaven and earth were created in you, through you and for you. You existed before anything else was created and it is you who holds all things together. My church is part of your body and you are its supreme head. You are lord of my life. I lay myself before you, submit to your will and surrender to your authority. I read the words from Colossians again and listen for the message you have for me.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 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 and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. Colossians 1:15-18

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

I consider the emotions this passage of scripture evokes in me. Does it instill awe, reverence, and surrender? Or perhaps it raises doubts and questions. How does the authority of Jesus Christ in the universe inform my current circumstances? Perhaps the question of Jesus’ authority over my life will provide a new perspective to something with which I currently struggle. Maybe God is inviting me to surrender a part of my life to the Lordship of Christ. Perhaps there is a place in me where Jesus is not on the throne, but someone or something else is. I proclaim that Jesus has authority over my life. He is the one I love, worship, obey and serve.

Pause and Pray

Come, Lord Jesus. Come take your place on the throne of my heart. All honor, glory and praise are yours. Reveal the places and circumstances I have yet to surrender to your good will. Show me where I need to learn the joy of submission and where I should humble myself to your authority or the authority of those you have placed over me. Amen.

God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

I leave this time of prayer praising the glory of God in Christ. I go to shine his light and share his love in a dark and broken world.

Amen