Fullness in Jesus
Do you feel full and complete?
Verse of the Day
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”
Today’s Devotional
Earlier in Colossians 2, Paul, writing to the Christians in Colossae, tells them of his prayers for them. He wants them to have the full riches of complete understanding. He wants them to know Jesus. He says that hidden within the knowledge of Jesus are all the treasures of wisdom and understanding.
Once we have accepted Jesus, we are to live our lives in Christ, be rooted and built up in Him, be strengthened in faith and be overflowing with thankfulness.
You have been brought to fullness in Jesus. Do you feel full? Do you feel complete? Do you feel whole?
Often my answer to those questions is no. Or at least not completely. So that leads me to believe that I don’t fully know Jesus. Which means that maybe I’m not fully living my life in Jesus. Maybe I’m also still living my life run by my own will. Maybe I’m not fully rooted in Jesus. Maybe I need to analyze the foundations upon which I’ve built my life. Are there any idols? Am I seeking comfort over obedience? Do I place anything above Jesus in my life? Am I doing all that I can to strengthen my faith by reading the Word, praying, and writing down how God has been faithful? Am I overflowing with gratitude?
The great news is that Jesus has the power to defeat any and all things in my life that keep me from Him. Temptation, sin, bad habits, wrong thinking, the devil or any giants that are in my life.
In order for the power of Jesus to begin a changing work in my life, I have to submit all of me to Him. Every single day.
I believe that process begins with daily submission. I think the details of what that looks like might be different from person to person. Your struggles might be different from mine. I long to live a fully submitted life, but I often don’t know what that looks like today. I have a friend who says something like, “When in doubt, just be useful.” So if I want to be brought into the fullness of Christ, and I want Him to be the Lord of my life, and yet I’m not sure how to do that…I can start by finding a way to be of service to another human.
If Jesus embodies the fullness of God, and He was a servant in all things, then this plan to “be useful” seems like a pretty good place to start. During this holiday season, we can each make an intentional choice today to be a servant to someone. Perhaps as we make that choice, the fullness of Jesus will pour into our hearts and fill us with Him.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Do you feel as though you “have been brought to fullness” in Jesus?
Does any area of your life feel lacking? If so, what can you do about it today?
How can you intentionally find a way to be of service to another human today?
What does it mean to you to be useful?