First Baptist Church, Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Devotional: Colossians 1:15-20

Today’s passage: Colossians 1:15-20

Helpful thoughts:

  • Man was created in the image of God.  We were meant to represent Him and exercise dominion under His authority in this world (Genesis 1:26-27).  Man fell into sin and has not perfectly represented (“imaged”) God.  But the man Jesus, the Christ, is the perfect image of God.
  • “Firstborn” means Christ is the one who will inherit possession of all things.  Jesus was born physically when he took on flesh.  But the Son of God is eternal and therefore never began to exist.
  • Christ truly condescended (was brought low) to save and redeem us from our sin.  And in His condescension, His glory only became more glorious!

Questions to consider:

  1. After reading this passage, who is Jesus?  What do we learn about Him in these verses?
  2. If this is who Jesus is, how then should we live?
  3. How does this passage reorient our thinking and give us the right perspective?

Devotional: Colossians 1:9-14

Today’s passage: Colossians 1:9-14

Helpful thoughts:

  • Overall, this passage defines a wonderfully lived Christian life!
  • Right thinking (in all spiritual wisdom and understanding) leads to right living (walking in a manner worthy).
  • With all the great qualities this kind of life would hold, our qualification to enter the eternal kingdom is not something we have earned.  It was given to us!
    • God qualified us.
    • God delivered us.
    • God transferred us.
    • God redeemed us.
    • God forgave us.

Questions to consider:

  1. What were we delivered from and what have we been delivered to?  Why did we need deliverance?  How did God bring our deliverance about?
  2. What aspects of this passage seem to bring the believer joy?  What things produce thanksgiving?
  3. Why does it make so much sense that a sinner saved by grace would want to “walk in a manner” that is worthy and pleasing to the Lord?  Why will every true Christian be compelled to grow and follow Christ?

Devotional: Colossians 1:3-8

Today’s passage: Colossians 1:3-8

Helpful thoughts:

  • Epaphras was the one who took the gospel to Colossae.  Paul didn’t have to be the one to preach the gospel to plant this church.  The gospel is the same and just as powerful no matter who God uses to proclaim it!
  • For Paul, the knowledge of the birth and growth of this church in a place he had not traveled resulted in thanksgiving.
  • Paul often included in his letters the importance of faith, hope and love in the life of a Christian.  These critical qualities are found again here in Colossians 1:4-5.

Questions to consider:

  1. What is the goal of our service and gospel ministry?  Why can it be tempting at times to want to be the person who “got the results?”
  2. In what ways could this church have been blessed because the Apostle Paul wasn’t the one who came and planted the church?
  3. For which ministries, fellow Christians, or people you hope to be saved could you pray today?  In what ways could you faithfully serve them?  How could you encourage others by appreciating their efforts to serve the Lord?

Devotional: Colossians 1:1-2

Today’s passage: Colossians 1:1-2

Helpful thoughts:

  • The church at Colossae was started during or shortly after Paul’s ministry in Ephesus (Over 100 miles east of Colossae).  It is believed that Epaphras (4:12) put his faith in Christ under Paul’s ministry in Ephesus and then went home with the Gospel message.
  • It appears there was troubling false teaching that was damaging the church.  Paul writes this letter to teach truth to the church and correct any false doctrines.
    • Paul appeals to his role as an Apostle to write and teach with the authority and commissioning he possessed in the early church.
    • An Apostle was a “sent one.”  Sent by Christ Himself to take the Gospel message at the beginning stage of the birth and growth of the church.
  • The word for “grace” in the Greek sounded much like the typical greeting in society, so Christians were known to greet each other with the word for “grace” instead.  “Peace” was the typical Jewish greeting.  Paul here is simply (Yet meaningfully) greeting all the men and women in the church with both cultural greetings, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”

Questions to consider:

  1. “Saint” simply means to be set apart.  All those who have put their faith in Christ have been set apart.  That means “the saints” and the “faithful brothers (and sisters)” who received this letter was the same group of people?  To whom then was this letter originally written?  How do these words help us to better identify who we are still today?
  2. Why was Paul an Apostle?  Was it because he wanted it (Acts 8:1-3)?  Or because he was a great speaker (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)?  Who made Paul an Apostle?
  3. How has God shown you grace and given you peace?  How has Christ given you grace and peace with the Father?

Devotional: Exodus 40

Today’s passage: Exodus 40

Helpful thoughts:

  • The Tabernacle is set up!
  • The Ark of the Covenant was also referred to as the Ark of the Testimony because it contained the stone tablets where God wrote His Ten Commandments.
  • Today we see a repeat of an important phrase.  This time in reference to Moses.  “As the Lord had commanded Moses.”
  • Once the Tabernacle was completed, anointed, set apart and the priests were made ready, the glory of the Lord came down and filled the Tabernacle.
    • The pillar of cloud by day and fire by night now had a resting place.  God was present with His people in a very apparent, visible way.

Questions to consider:

  1. What had God said to the people after their rebellion with the golden calf (Exodus 33:3)?  After God’s grace and mercy was given, and the people repented and turned to obedience, what has now transpired?
  2. What promise do we have of God’s presence while we journey through this life (Matthew 28:19-20, 2 Corinthians 1:20-22)?
  3. How does the presence of God in the life of the believer become apparent (Galatians 2:20, Galatians 5:22-23)?

Devotional: Exodus 39

Today’s passage: Exodus 39

Helpful thoughts:

  • The making of the garments for the priests is explained in detail in today’s chapter.
  • A key phrase throughout the chapter is, “As the Lord had commanded Moses.”
  • With the completion of these garments and all that went with the clothing of the priests, Israel had completed all that God had commanded them to make for the Tabernacle.  Once it was presented to Moses for final inspection, is was time to set everything up for worship.

Questions to consider:

  1. How many times can you find the phrase, “As the Lord had commanded Moses in this chapter?  Why do you think it was repeated so many times?
  2. Remembering that part of the meaning of “holy” is to be set apart, why are many of the things in this passage called, “holy?”  For what had they all been set apart?
  3. What did Moses do after the people had obediently completed the work (Verse 43)?  How does obedience bring blessing?  How did the obedience of Christ bring blessing?

Devotional: Exodus 38

Today’s passage: Exodus 38

Helpful thoughts:

  • The “He” of these passages doing the work is Bezalel (38:22, 35:30, 31:2).
  • The order which the making of all these items have been detailed are working progressively further away from the Most Holy Place.
  • As of the end of chapter 38, all the components of the Tabernacle have been made.  All that is left was to make the garments for the priests and to set it all up!

Questions to consider:

  1. How many men were accounted for in Israel at this time in the wilderness (Verse 26)?  What must this traveling group of people have been like?  How remarkable was this Exodus journey?
  2. What purpose would verses 21-31 have served for the people?  What were they recording?  What did it communicate to (And about) the people?
  3. What did these records communicate concerning the people’s view of God?  When we value God highly (Supremely!) how does that evidence itself in our lives?

Devotional: Exodus 37

Today’s passage: Exodus 37

Helpful thoughts:

  • The making of the “furniture” for the Holy and Most Holy Places is detailed in today’s chapter.
    • The Ark of the Covenant
      • This was for the Most Holy Place (Also known as, “The Holy of Holies”)
        • The Mercy Seat served as the “throne” of God’s presence with His people.
    • The Table for the Bread of the Presence
      • The bread for this table, which represented the Twelve Tribes of Israel would be added later.
    • The Golden Lampstand
    • The Altar of Incense
  • The making of the anointing oil for the priests and the special incense is recorded in the final verse.

Questions to consider:

  1. What kinds of skills are being utilized in the making of all these elements of the Tabernacle?  How meticulous must the builders have been?
  2. The Lord’s presence with His people was manifested in the Tabernacle/Temple.  Where does the Lord now reside?  What/Where/Who is the temple of the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)?

Devotional: Exodus 35:30-36:38

Today’s passage: Exodus 35:30-36:38

Helpful thoughts:

  • For the remainder of the Book of Exodus, the Tabernacle is going to be constructed and filled just as the Lord commanded.
  • The very men God had equipped and called out by name (31:1-11) are selected and given their tasks to perform.
  • The commands were given in detail, now the obedience will be given in detail as well.
    • After Israel failed to keep their part of the covenant, the Lord showed mercy and the covenant was renewed.  Now, we will get to see the obedience and thanksgiving of the people (Including their giving of materials toward the building of the Tabernacle).

Questions to consider:

  1. What/Who gave these men and workers the ability to do what they were doing with excellence?  Why were the people so generous with their giving?
  2. It might seem like it would have been easier to follow up all the instructions the Lord gave Moses with a line like, “Then Moses told the people what God said and they did it.”  Why do you think the Lord chose to give a full account of how the people obeyed?  What would the benefits be of taking the time to read through these chapters?
  3. What do we learn about the righteousness of God through this reading?  And how can we come to better appreciate the perfect righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, by reading through all the details of the Law?