Week 49—Monday Colossians 1:17-20
Week 49—MONDAY
Colossians 1:17-20
“WHOM HE MADE HEIR OF THE UNIVERSE”
We come to the next step in the description of the Incarnation: Second, “Whom he has made heir to the whole universe.” This is amazing: Everything will come out at Jesus’ feet. Why? Arbitrarily so, because God willed it? No. The reason is this: Everything that does not come out at his feet will destroy itself on the way. He is the heir of all things, for everything that refuses him will go to pieces by its own inherent conflicts and contradictions. This process of elimination is happening now. There is a silent process of the elimination of the morally and spiritually unfit. If you won’t live with Jesus Christ you can’t live with yourself, and you can’t live with others.
A financier kited checks to the tune of $10,000,000. He never took a vacation in eighteen years. Had to spend two hours a day to see what forged checks were due and what new ones to make out to cover them. He gave himself up and said, “I’m glad it’s over. I’ve been in prison for fifteen years. Now I’m free.” He was “free” to go to jail! And every person who lives in sin is jailing herself or himself, and if it goes on long enough one executes oneself, rendering oneself unfit to survive. God doesn’t will this—persons will it.
And this happens automatically whether you bear the name of Christ or not. Live according to him and you live, live against him and you perish, whatever your name or sign.
The feet of Jesus is the terminus ad quid—the terminal point of this universe. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:10). The rest have stilled their own tongues in self-destruction. A doctor, belligerent and wanting an argument, went up to a missionary and said defiantly: “I don’t believe in God; I don’t believe in Christ.” The missionary quietly said, “Go to hell then.” The doctor never said another word. That’s where he was.
Jesus, you are heir of all things, for if we don’t come out at your feet we don’t come out. We kill this thing called life. We perish. Save us from this self-destruction. Give us sense. You are Sense—all else is nonsense. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Everything I place in Jesus by surrender is safe and secure. Everything, including myself, outside him is unsafe and insecure.