Christ Preeminent

Leonardo da Vinci had just completed his masterpiece, The Last Supper. Pleased with his work, he invited another artist to come to his studio and view his painting.

Gazing with great admiration, the guest artist was overwhelmed and speechless. Finally, he exclaimed to da Vinci, “You have painted the chalice with exquisite beauty. It is the most beautiful thing in the whole picture.”

When he heard the comments of the other artist, he immediately took his brush and painted over the chalice. He said to his guest: “I do not want anything to take away from my Lord. I painted the picture for Him, not for the chalice.” 

Christ is present in the life of every Christian. But, His presence is no assurance of His prominence. Writing to the church at Colossae, Paul said, “Christ...must be first in everything.”

Because of His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, God exalted Christ and elevated Him to His rightful place in creation. And, if God honored Him as being supreme over all things, how ought we to honor Him in, and through, and with, and by, the way we live? 

Simply accepting Him as our Savior is not enough. We must exalt Him and elevate Him as our Lord, and make Him visible in every aspect of our lives.

Prayer:  We thank You, Father, for what You have done for us and what You can do through us. May we make You the centerpiece of our lives and always put You first. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. Colossians 1:18

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Advance!

When Caesar crossed the English Channel from Gaul and landed on the shore, he knew that the odds were against his winning the impending battle. After thinking of the seriousness of the situation, he did a strange thing. 

After he landed on the shore, he had all of his men get off of the ships and gather around him. He then ordered all but a few to move forward and not look back. Then, he ordered the remaining few to stay with him. At his command, they were to set fire to all of the ships.
After the first party made their way forward, he issued the order to set the ships ablaze. When the ships were blazing, he then gave another command for the men to turn around and see the burning ships. 

The men were stunned as they looked at the burning vessels. They realized that they were now stranded in enemy territory and could not retreat to safety. There was nothing that they could do but advance and fight. And they did! With every ounce of strength they possessed, they fought their way forward and won!

When we face overwhelming challenges and difficult decisions, we must look to God and ask Him a simple question: What is the best way to advance and win the battle. He knows what we should do. However, we must trust in Him, His advice, and His strength to be victorious.

Prayer:  Each day, Lord, we face tasks that are trying and problems that are perplexing. May we look to You for Your insight and wisdom as we face life’s demands. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

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Advance!

When Caesar crossed the English Channel from Gaul and landed on the shore, he knew that the odds were against his winning the impending battle. After thinking of the seriousness of the situation, he did a strange thing. 

After he landed on the shore, he had all of his men get off of the ships and gather around him. He then ordered all but a few to move forward and not look back. Then, he ordered the remaining few to stay with him. At his command, they were to set fire to all of the ships.
After the first party made their way forward, he issued the order to set the ships ablaze. When the ships were blazing, he then gave another command for the men to turn around and see the burning ships. 

The men were stunned as they looked at the burning vessels. They realized that they were now stranded in enemy territory and could not retreat to safety. There was nothing that they could do but advance and fight. And they did! With every ounce of strength they possessed, they fought their way forward and won!

When we face overwhelming challenges and difficult decisions, we must look to God and ask Him a simple question: What is the best way to advance and win the battle. He knows what we should do. However, we must trust in Him, His advice, and His strength to be victorious.

Prayer:  Each day, Lord, we face tasks that are trying and problems that are perplexing. May we look to You for Your insight and wisdom as we face life’s demands. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

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The Thinking Table

A local television station sent one of its reporters to a kindergarten to interview the children. One young boy seemed to stand out above all of the other children. His energy, his enthusiasm, and his excitement were very obvious.Approaching him, the reporter asked, “Do you like school?”

“Oh, yes,” he replied. Then he became quiet for a moment and said, “Except for the thinking table.” 

“The thinking table? What’s the thinking table?” asked the reporter.

“It’s that table over in the corner. The teacher sends us over there to make us think,” he responded.

“Think? Think about what?” continued the interviewer.

“Well,” the boy answered, “the last time I had to go there and think was after I hit Sarah. I had to go over there and think about why I hit her and why I shouldn’t have.” 

Paul said that we “should think of others better than ourselves.” His statement does not mean that we should put ourselves down, but that we are to set aside our desires and not take advantage of others. We are to treat others with respect and common courtesy that we ourselves want. If we did think of their needs first, we would not need “thinking tables.”

Prayer:  Often, Father, we think “more highly of ourselves” than we should. We ask You to convict and convince us to “let Your mind be in (control) of us.” In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:3-4

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The Thinking Table

A local television station sent one of its reporters to a kindergarten to interview the children. One young boy seemed to stand out above all of the other children. His energy, his enthusiasm, and his excitement were very obvious.Approaching him, the reporter asked, “Do you like school?”

“Oh, yes,” he replied. Then he became quiet for a moment and said, “Except for the thinking table.” 

“The thinking table? What’s the thinking table?” asked the reporter.

“It’s that table over in the corner. The teacher sends us over there to make us think,” he responded.

“Think? Think about what?” continued the interviewer.

“Well,” the boy answered, “the last time I had to go there and think was after I hit Sarah. I had to go over there and think about why I hit her and why I shouldn’t have.” 

Paul said that we “should think of others better than ourselves.” His statement does not mean that we should put ourselves down, but that we are to set aside our desires and not take advantage of others. We are to treat others with respect and common courtesy that we ourselves want. If we did think of their needs first, we would not need “thinking tables.”

Prayer:  Often, Father, we think “more highly of ourselves” than we should. We ask You to convict and convince us to “let Your mind be in (control) of us.” In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:3-4

Were you helped by today's devotional? Leave a comment and let us know!