Category: From the Insideout

Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Growth from God through Christ

Posted on by MaryEllen

 Let no one who delights in false humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.19 He has not held fast to the head from whom the whole body, supported and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.

Colossians 2:18-19 NET

Today’s passage of our journey through Colossians picks up where we left off, with Paul warning believers not to get caught up in trying to fulfill the legalistic rules and demands of man. Now, he warns them about listening to, following, or being influenced by those who are not connected to Christ. He attempts to help them see that the way we look and live in the world does not cause us to grow. Growth comes when we are truly connected to Jesus, who is the Head (v 19), or as John described Him, “The Vine” (John 15:5), and here Paul writes that these false teachers do not hold to Jesus’ teachings but push and promote their own teachings – thus the strong explanation and warning to believers (then and now) from Paul. After reminding them that Christ is the head and is to be held on to, he explains that they need to do this so that they can “be knit together” as a body. Bibleref.com suggests that God provides two elements to Christian life. “God is the One Who causes growth.” The commentary by Bibleref.com goes on to explain two things: “First, true spiritual progress does not occur through requiring ascetic practices (2:18), or rituals (2:16), but in following Christ. The more we rely on our own power and ability, the less we allow Christ to use His power in us. This is the problem with mysticism and self-denial: they rely on our own strength, instead of the power of Christ. The second element is that “our common dependence on Christ produces both growth and unity. Unity must be built upon God and His teachings in order to be genuine.”

The more we rely on our own power and ability, the less we allow Christ to use His power in us. This is the problem with mysticism and self-denial. They rely on our own strength instead of the power of Christ.

Bibleref.com/Colossians 2:19

Friends, the bottom line is this:

“We grow in spiritual maturity by abiding in Christ and holding fast to Him in trust and obedience.”1

Response of Prayer

Lord Jesus, please help us focus on what is really important in our growth as a Christian and protect us from being deceived by false teachers. Amen2

Reflection and Application

What can we do to guard against falling into the trap of false teachers

The More We Know

Know These Truths

  1. Christ Is All I Need/week 4, p122 ↩︎
  2. Christ Is All I Need/week 4, p122 ↩︎

Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study

Living by Faith, Not Checklists

Posted on by MaryEllen

16So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. 17For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. 18Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, 19and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.

Colossians 2:16-19

I am a checklist, check-it-off girl. Seriously, I will make a list of ‘to-dos’ and add the things I’ve already done just so I can check them off. While there is nothing wrong with the checklist system, when it comes to living for Jesus, we are saved and called by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, not through works of any kind. Even good works like loving others, going to church, praying, reading the Bible, and tithing cannot save us. They are all good things and should be a part of the believer’s life, but they are meant to flow from the heart and be used to build up our relationship with God – rather than a checklist to please man or make us feel better. We most certainly are to live according to God’s pleasure, which calls for obedience to His Word1, but we must not get caught up in the demands and regulations that ‘man’ has added to God’s expressed desires and purpose for His people. To do so is both dangerous and tiresome and brings no pleasure to our God, no matter how many check marks you have on your list for the day. For God judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, not the outward appearance and actions.

“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”2

This is why Paul is teaching the Colossian believers (and by extension all believers) to “not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days.” Those who taught the law had also added restrictions and demands to the law that were used to judge the people of God. Yet, Paul had just reminded them that Christ’s death on the cross had not only granted God’s forgiveness for all their sins, but it had also “canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross … disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities.” Our rightness in God’s eyes is no longer judged according to what we do or don’t do but solely on our faith in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. No amount of outward works can save us or make us better in God’s eyes. For, as Paul tells the Ephesian believers, it is “for by grace you are saved through faith…not from works.”

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Friends, I’m still a checklist girl, but after getting caught up in the ‘faith/salvation’ checklist way of life for far too many years, my checklists are now reserved for work and household tasks. I found that when it came to a faith checklist, I would end the day feeling “puffed up” for what I’d done spiritually or (more times than not) “like a failure” who needed to work harder and do more, not just to please God but to keep His approval and maintain His love. I will forever praise God that He intervened in my life and led me to a different church where the grace of God was the center of the preaching and teaching, and faith in Christ was elevated to its rightful position over works.

It’s one of Satan’s oldest tricks to make people think that their outward morality pleases God.3

Response of Worship

What a beautiful worship song, a wonderful reminder that our salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone! Nothing we ‘add to it’ or do for it can make it stronger or better – for Christ is our all-sufficient merit ❤️✝️

Response of Prayer

Father, we are to be doers of Your Word and not hearers only. We are to live in obedience to Your commands and walk in the light of Your Word, living out our faith for Your glory, and so that others may see our good works and glorify You in Heaven. Thank You for the reminder that this does not mean we live according to man-made rules, regulations, and demands that teachers and experts in the “law” attempt to impose. Instead, we are to walk by faith in the light of Your Word. (Psalm 119:105). Let the joy of my salvation always be found in You alone, not a checklist, or the whims or pleasures or demands of man. ~ In Jesus’ name ~ Amen ❤️

Reflection and Application

We came to faith by believing in Jesus. We cannot/must not then make it about a set of rules, for “It’s only the life of Jesus, His activity in and through us, that God will ultimately honor.

  • How can we guard against getting caught up in judging others or others judging us according to what we eat or drink, or what we celebrate and don’t celebrate…?

The More We Know

Paul refers to the Old Testament legal requirements, from verse 16, calling them “a shadow of the things to come.” The Greek word skia, translated as “shadow,” can also refer to “shade, a sketch, or an outline.” Paul contrasts this with the Greek word sōma, translated as “body.” This word can also mean “reality or substance.” This is the reason adherence to the Law is not a requirement: The Law was merely an outline; it is a shadow, or a hint of things to come. Christ is the actual substance. In making this statement, Paul did not speak against the Law, but rather spoke of Jesus as superior to the Mosaic law. It is the difference between a book and the author of a book. The Law could not exist without the Author. Jesus serves as the author of life (Acts 3:15). He fulfilled the Law without contradicting it. Jesus taught, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).

Bibleref.com @ Colossians 2:17
  1. John 14:15 ↩︎
  2. 1 Samuel 16:7 ↩︎
  3. LGG Christ Is All I Need, journal p 126 ↩︎

Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Faith Is the Victory

Posted on by MaryEllen

Inspired by the LGG study, “Christ is All I Need” / Week 3 Day 5

Road Map for Today’s Journey: Colossians 2:11-15 (SOAP: 11-12)

In him you also were circumcised ~ not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hand, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ.

Colossians 2:11 NET

I imagine all, if not most of us, are familiar with circumcision as a medical procedure performed on baby boys just days after they are born. However, in Paul’s day, particularly in the Jewish community, circumcision was recognized (known to be) an identifying mark of God’s people. The circumcision that Paul writes about in today’s portion of his letter is not referring to the medical procedure but rather to the spiritual procedure of Christ cutting away our sinful nature. When we come to Jesus in faith for salvation, He spiritually cuts away our sinful nature; thus Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has gone; the new has come.” (2 Cor 5:17)

Faith in Christ changes us from the inside out.

When we came to Christ, we were circumcised, not physically but spiritually, as Christ cut away our sinful nature. Bibleref.com explains it like this: “~what circumcision does, physically, faith in Christ does, spiritually. In other words, what matters this side of the cross (emphasis added) is knowing Christ, not physical circumcision.” As Paul will confirm later in our journey through Colossians, “ In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” (Colossians 3:11)

Friends, as Gentiles, we had two strikes against us from the start. We were sinners having no rightful connection to God, and we were ‘uncircumcised’ (meaning we were not identified as belonging to God). Yet by His grace and mercy, God stepped in and rescued us ~ making a way where there was no way ~ bridging the chasm between God and us by the blood of His Son and giving us His identity by making us “new creations in Christ”. Now our sins no longer keep us from God; instead, through faith in Christ, we are offered a living, active relationship with God1 [Father, Son, Spirit]. We are, as Paul wrote, buried [dying to the old self] with Him in baptism and raised [given new life] with/in Him through our faith…” The old has gone, the new has come! Our sins have not only been forgiven, but He completely canceled the record of the charges against us by nailing it to the cross. “Disarming,” as Paul writes, “the spiritual rulers and authorities” through His glorious VICTORY on the cross! May we never forget or take for granted that it is a victory we share in through Faith in Jesus Christ!

Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead.

Colossians 2:12 NET

Response of Worship

Response of Prayer

Father, thank You for the victory that is ours through Faith, by grace. We are most blessed and forever grateful to be new creations in Christ Jesus…welcomed into a relationship with You…no longer separated from You by our sins! Glory Hal-le-lu-jah! Thank You, Jesus!

  1. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you … (James 4:8) ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

ROOTED AND FIRM IN THE FAITH

Posted on by MaryEllen

Week 3, Day 4 of All I Need Is Christ (based on the Love God Greatly Study Guide)

Today’s Road Map for Our Journey: Colossians 2:6-10 (SOAP: 6-7); Galatians 3:1-5

 Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. Colossians 2:6-10 (6-7)

Just prior to this part of Paul’s letter, he had told the people that he was rejoicing in the way they were living according to their strong faith in Christ. Now he continues to encourage them to stand firm in their faith, reminding them that it is a faith rooted and built up in Christ – just as they had been taught by Epaphras (Col. 1:7). They have been built up in their faith by the teachings they have received, but Paul knows that this faith will be challenged by empty and deceitful teachings and philosophies of the world, which are based on “anti-Christian principles”. As we know all too well, it is easy to get caught up in the ‘ways’ of the world, sinful attitudes, actions, and language, ways that aren’t pleasing or glorifying to our true and living God but have become acceptable – not just among the unbelieving population but within the community of believers.

The false teachings confronting Colossae emphasized works and personal sacrifice as the means to pleasing God. It is true that works are a vital aspect of the Christian’s life (1 John 3:17–18), but these are the results of saving faith, not the source of it. Our walk with God must be rooted in faith—and therefore rooted in Him, not us—just as salvation is. Otherwise, our spirituality is based on human performance and is destined to fail.

Bibleref.com/Colossians 2:6 Commentary

Paul doesn’t want them to get tripped up by these deceitful philosophies and old traditions, but instead he urges them to stay the course of faith. He warns them about the dangers of being captivated by the world around them and urges them (us) to stand firm in the truths and foundations of their faith in Jesus. Friends, we must remember that real faith will stay rooted in Christ, and as he did in many of his other letters, he impresses on the believers in Colossae the importance of living out their faith. Life in Christ is based on Christ alone and is to be our firm foundation, not works or any other teaching. Remember, earlier in our journey we learned, or were reminded, that Christ is filled with the fullness of God; and now Paul reminds us that we (believers) “have been filled in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” (Col 1:9-10) He has been appointed as head over us, the Church (Col 1:15-18), and our focus, as Paul teaches here, should not be on trickery and human preference, or being deluded by worldly philosophical tricks, but rather rooted in Christ alone, who is the Truth (John 14:6).


God does not want us to depend on our own efforts to live the Christian life. He wants us to live every day and every moment by faith in Jesus and the divine resources He offers to us. Christ Is All I Need, p102

Response of Worship

The More We Know

I’m so glad that today’s journey pointed us to the passage from Galatians 3:1-5; it’s one that was instrumental in God moving me along in my faith. I read it over and over and found it to be living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword, penetrating soul and spirit …making it personal… “MaryEllen, you have been so foolish. Who tricked you into believing that Salvation is by anything other than the blood of Jesus? You know it isn’t by striving harder, doing more, knowing more, or anything else that you can do. You heard the truth about Christ, you believed it, and received His Spirit; why are you now working to keep what was given to you by grace through faith? …”

Friend, if this type of deceitful thinking has pushed into your mind – let me ask you with the words of Paul: “Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you hear? … Did you begin with the Spirit but now are trying to finish your race by human effort? Why?… and thus the warning from Paul throughout this book and others … “… just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught …”

Reflection and Application

As Christians, we are to continue to live our lives in Christ, continue just the same way we received Him. We have to trust Him not only for our salvation but for living the Christian life.1

  • How did we receive Christ? ____ _________ (Eph 2:8)
  • How do we continue in Him? ____ _________ (2 Cor 5:7)

Response of Prayer


Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us everything we need to live a life of obedience. Amen.

  1. All I Need Is Christ, LGG Journal p 102 ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Hidden Treasure

Posted on by MaryEllen

Based on the LGG Study Journal, Christ Is All I Need / Week 3 Day 3

Today’s Road Map for Our Journey: Colossians 2:1-5(SOAP: v3); 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

~ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge – Colossians 2:3

As we head into the fourth week of our journey through Paul’s letter to the Colossian believers, we find Paul struggling with the fact that he has not yet met the people. Remember, God has called Paul to serve the Church, but because he is under house arrest in Rome, he has not been able to meet some of the ‘Churches’ [people] that have been established. He is receiving updates on them, praying for them, and writing to them, but it is not the same as knowing them and meeting with them face-to-face.

Actually, our little group that gathers here online day after day started for a similar reason. During the 2020 pandemic and those early months of quarantine, I struggled with not being able to gather in person with the ladies from my Sunday and Wednesday groups. I would send cards and texts, but it just wasn’t the same as seeing their faces and discussing what we were learning or how we had seen God working in and around us. We tried Zoom meetings but had little success, so out of desperation I began sharing words of encouragement and eventually short devos via Facebook – and here we are today. While I love our little group, I can truly understand Paul’s struggle with not being able to meet/know the people in a more personal way.

While I feel certain that Paul was somewhat comforted by being able to write to and receive messages about and/or from the Church, I am equally confident of the challenge it presented for him in the task of serving them. Yet, he did not quit striving to fulfill his responsibility to them and others like them. He encouraged them in unity and in standing firm to the message of the Gospel, teaching and reminding them even through his letters to rest in the assurance of their understanding of Jesus Christ, especially the knowledge and the mystery of God. His goal was to prepare them and protect them from being deceived by those who would present other messages that would cause them to waver in the faith they had placed in Jesus Christ.

I particularly love the way Paul explained that the message of the Gospel is like a hidden treasure that can only be found in Christ. As Bibleref.com explains, “Treasures are often hidden for the sake of keeping them safe. In this case, the knowledge and wisdom are kept in Christ, but made available to those who believe in Him.”

Blessed are those who find wisdom,
    those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
    and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
    nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
    in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
    and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
    those who hold her fast will be blessed.

Proverbs 3:13-18

Friends, it is clear from the personal struggle Paul shares with the Colossian believers that fulfilling God’s call upon his life to serve the Church by making the message of Christ known to others involves the heart. It means caring enough to follow up, to encourage them, to get to know them despite the physical distance between them, and to be vulnerable enough to let them get to know him. It requires praying for them and continually sharing and resharing the message in the hope that those who hear it will search it out for themselves and hold on to it as the valuable treasure that it is.

Not to sound like a warped record that repeats itself (yes, I realize that I just dated myself – lol), but we have all been called to make the message of the Gospel known. This means that we must spend time in God’s Word, seeking to understand it, to communicate it, and to defend it well.1 One of the groups that I used to lead was called ‘Women of the Word’, and our tagline was ‘getting into the Word and letting the Word get into us.’ Our goal was to study it daily, to discuss it weekly, to search for it as treasure and store it deep within our hearts, to let it flow freely from our lips2, and to let it shine like a light from our lives wherever we were3. Which, come to think of it, that tag-line is appropriate for this group as well.

Reflection and Application

Check out this list of beautiful treasures. According to today’s passage, where can they be found?

Wisdom and Knowledge: True understanding of God’s design, purpose, and reality.
Redemption and Forgiveness: Freedom from sin and guilt through His blood.
Eternal Life: The very life and presence of God dwelling inside the believer.
Peace and Joy: A deep, content spirit that remains steady regardless of outside circumstances.
The Mystery of God: The revelation of God’s grace and plan made clear to believers.

Response of Prayer

Lord Jesus, prod my heart and the heart of every reader today to know You better. Help us to grow in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of You and Your Word. Help us not only to read and hear it but to faithfully apply it, living it out daily.

Response of Worship

Quote of the Day

The Bible defines true wisdom and knowledge as knowing God and applying His will to our lives.

Christ is All I Need, LGG Journal p106

The More We Know

  1. 2 Timothy 2:15 ↩︎
  2. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34 ↩︎
  3. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:14-16 ↩︎

Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Christ In You

Posted on by MaryEllen

Today’s Road Map for the Journey

Colossians 1:27-29 (SOAP 1:27); Ephesians 3:1-7

“The secret is simply this: Christ in you! Yes, Christ in you, bringing with him the hope of all glorious things to come.”

JB Philips

Friends, whether it is a blinding light, as Paul experienced on the road to Damascus1, or a letter from the Apostle Paul himself, God will let us know what He wants us to know in the course of His perfect timing. Here in our Scripture for today’s journey, we read that God wanted to make known to them (Jews & Gentiles) the “glorious riches” that had been given to them. These riches are summed up as the hope of glory, which includes our resurrection (Romans 8:11), the guarantee of His Spirit in us (Ephesians 4:30; Ephesians 1:14), who guarantees our Heavenly inheritance (1 Peter 1:3–4), which is, even now, being kept in Heaven for us.

Christ’s presence in us is the hope of glory, and this truth is full of “glorious riches.” Our once dead, darkened spirits are made alive. Christ is in our hearts, and we know that there is life beyond this earthly existence—a life that will be glorious beyond all imagination. Gotquestions.org

Until now, the glorious riches have been a mystery to the Gentiles. Paul explains “the mystery” as being “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This explanation was meant to encourage the believers then, and it should encourage us today. For if Christ lives in us now, we can know with certainty that we will one day be with Him in Heaven ~ for the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is living in us and will also give life to our mortal bodies ~ and hal-le-lu-jah! ~ He will secure for us a heavenly inheritance that will never perish, spoil, or fade! Friends, it is a future full of glorious riches that we can’t begin to truly picture. Make no mistake, though ~ the Spirit and the promise of the hope of glory and its glorious riches are available only to those who believe. If you are reading this today but do not know Jesus as your Savior, I encourage you to follow the Know These Truths link below, where you will learn all about my Jesus and how these promises can be yours today.

The hope of glory includes our resurrection: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11). It includes a heavenly inheritance: “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3–4). The Spirit of Christ within us is the “deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14).
Christ’s presence in us is the hope of glory, and this truth is full of “glorious riches.” Our once dead, darkened spirits are made alive. Christ is in our hearts, and we know that there is life beyond this earthly existence—a life that will be glorious beyond all imagination.

Gotquestions.org

Reflection and Application

In what ways are we “gloriously rich” if we have Jesus? Try making a list of all the “riches” we have in Christ? (search for them in Ephesians 1:7-14)

Response of Prayer

Father, thank you for the glorious hope and riches that we have to look forward to in Christ. Thank You for making known the mystery of the Gospel, for Christ in us, and the seal of Your Spirit, who guarantees not only our resurrection but our inheritance that is being being kept in Heaven for us. Thank you that we can know with certainty that we will one day be with You in Heaven. ~To You be all the glory, Amen

The More We Know

What does it mean that Christ is the hope of glory?

What does Colossians 1:26 mean?

Know These Truths
  1. Saul’s/Paul’s Story in a Nutshell,
    The Journey: Saul went to catch and hurt followers of Jesus.
    The Flash: A bright light brighter than the noon sun shone all around him.
    The Fall: Saul fell down on the ground.
    The Voice: A voice said, “Saul, Saul, why do you hurt me?”
    The Answer: The voice was Jesus.

    What Happened Next
    The Blindness: Saul could not see after the light. His friends had to lead him by hand into the city of Damascus.
    The Three Days: Saul sat in the dark for three days without food or water.
    The Healing: A helper named Ananias prayed for Saul, and things like fish scales fell from his eyes. He could see again.
    The Change: Saul became Paul, a main teacher and writer of the New Testament. ↩︎

Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

The Responsibility of Serving

Posted on by MaryEllen

Today’s Road Map for the Journey: Colossians 1:24-29 (SOAP 24); (Mark 8:35)

Paul counted it a joy (gladness) to suffer for the cause (spreading the Gospel). He knows this is what Christ Himself did for the Church when He walked on the earth. As BibleRef.com points out, “Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice (the scapegoat1), but Paul suffered (faced trials and tribulation as He carried out the call of Jesus in His life).”

We too have a call from God upon our lives. Paul defines it in verse 25, where he wrote, “God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you.”

Friends, as believers in Christ, we too have been called to serve His Church by going into all the world with His Gospel message, by loving others as Christ has loved us, by giving to those in need … and any other word or deed that makes God known.

We should consider it an honor and a privilege to serve Christ in this world, but we must not forget that suffering is to be expected, not just for Paul but for all who choose to answer Jesus’ call to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him2.

While no thought of suffering is pleasant and quite honestly serves more as a deterrent than a coveted invitation, James encourages believers to consider it an opportunity for great joy when troubles of any kind come their way. He reminds them that when their faith is tested, their endurance (or perseverance) has a chance to grow, and when their endurance is fully developed, they will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Paul certainly dealt with troubles of many kinds. “He was regularly mocked, beaten, whipped, imprisoned, and even stoned.” Yet, he continued on, praising God, writing letters to make Him known, praying for the church, and making every effort to reach others with the Gospel message, no matter the cost.

His example is a challenging one for certain. May the Spirit of God who lives in us grace us with courage and joy to live and suffer for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ – no matter where we are or who we are with.

Reflection and Application

Have you ever made yourself wholly available to God for the spreading of the gospel? Have you asked Him to use you for the advancement of His kingdom? If not, are you willing to do so now?

Response of Worship

The More We Know

  1. Leviticus 16 ↩︎
  2. Mark 8:35 ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Established and Firm in The Faith

Posted on by MaryEllen

19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. 23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. Colossians 1:19-23

Paul wrote that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17), the author of Hebrews wrote that God’s Word is living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12, and the Psalmist wrote that God’s Word is a lamp for our feet and a light to guide our path (Ps 119:105). On today’s journey, it is Paul who makes it clear that God’s Word is where we find the assurance of salvation and the gifts that it brings those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. There are the gifts of eternal life by grace through faith, the hope of Heaven, the promise of His Spirit in us, the freedom from and forgiveness of sin, peace during trouble, and mercies that are new every morning… and the list goes on. So it is no little thing when Paul advises the believers to “remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel…” the same gospel which Paul declares he has “become a servant.“

Here on this earth, we will have troubles; we will hear of wars and rumors of war, we will see wickedness increase, and there will be those that preach or encourage a different message than the truth of Jesus Christ ~ but as Paul urged the Colossian believers, we are to hold fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The same gospel message that we believed and through which we were saved. There will be heartaches and discouragements, seemingly unanswered prayers and needs that make us wonder where God is – but we must be resolute in our faith, not wavering, not turning to the right or to the left but trusting in and pursuing the One who pursued us. We must give the utmost effort to remembering the work and mediation of Jesus Christ on our behalf, the crux of which are found a praise song, Lord I Lift Your Name on High1, from the 80’s, “He came from Heaven to earth to show the way, from the earth to the cross our debt to pay, from the cross to grave and from the grave to the sky … Lord I lift Your name on high.”


Lord, I lift Your name on high.
Lord, I love to sing Your praises.
I’m so glad You’re in my life;
I’m so glad You came to save us.

You came from Heaven to earth
To show the way.
From the Earth to the cross,
My debt to pay.
From the cross to the grave,
From the grave to the sky;
Lord, I lift Your name on high.

Songs of Praise

Friends, it’s not something I’m proud of, but my faith was the shakiest when I began spending more time with the world and its vast temptations than in the Word of God. The longer I played both sides of the fence (or tried to), the shakier my faith became. At its worst, I began believing that I had crossed too many lines, committed too many sins to ever know God’s favor again. Eventually, I was so overwhelmed with my sin and was working so hard to be ‘good’ enough to win His love ‘back’ that I lost sight of the truth that the work of Christ on the cross had already paid the full sin debt I owed. Somewhere along the way, I had failed to fully understand the message, depth, and power of God’s grace ~ a grace that was and always will be greater than all my (our) sins. It is also a grace that is never earned but always and only received through faith alone, in Christ alone.

It’s dangerous not to see ourselves as sinners in daily need of God’s grace.2

Response of Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you that even though I was your enemy, you found me and drew me to
yourself by your great work on the cross. Thank you for dramatically transforming my heart so many years ago, for taking my sins in Your own body and pouring Your transforming power into my life. You turned God’s wrath away from me and opened the way for me to be made new in You, declaring me righteous before God. ~ Amen

Reflection and Application

What are the two things God needed to deal with so that we could be reconciled to Him?

Response of Worship

The More We Know

  1. “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” is a contemporary Christian worship song written by Rick Founds in 1989. The song was inspired during Founds’ morning devotion, where he was reading scriptures and reflecting on his faith. It encapsulates the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, expressing themes of praise and gratitude for salvation ↩︎
  2. LGG, Christ Is All I Need, p 86 ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

The Power of Reconciliation Through Christ

Posted on by MaryEllen

Today’s Road Map for our Journey: Colossians 1:20-23 (SOAP: 21-22); 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your minds, as
expressed through your evil deeds, but now he has reconciled you
by his physical body through death to present you holy, without
blemish, and blameless before him – Colossians 1:21-22

I often find myself saying, or hearing others say, “I honestly don’t know how people get through life without God.” How do they navigate life-threatening illnesses, the agonizing grief of burying a loved one without the hope of eternity, or the pain of divorce and the devastation of job loss? To those without faith in Jesus, a God of endless mercy, love, and grace can seem impossible to understand. As Paul wrote, the Gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18). They struggle to comprehend a Creator who loves a world of sinners so deeply that He gave His only Son to them (John 3:16). It passes human understanding that Jesus—sinless, powerful enough to heal the sick and raise the dead—would willingly hang on a cross for our sins instead of calling down ten thousand angels to save Himself (John 10:18; Matthew 26:53). Yet, the truth is, as Paul wrote to the Colossian believers, Christ gave His life for strangers and enemies, reconciling them with His physical body through death so that He could present them blameless before God. Because of His sacrifice – His blood on the cross – and the unfathomable grace of God, salvation has been offered to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved … Acts 16:41
Truly, truly I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. John 6:47
For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Consider the following commentary found in the Love God Greatly Journal, Christ is All I Need, and let the reality sink in that before we came to Jesus, we were strangers from God and cut off from Him. How does knowing that you were an enemy and stranger before God make you feel? Read through the three verses above that declare God’s gift and means of reconciliation – how does this make you feel?

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
what is old has passed away—look, what is new has
come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Friends, how have your responded to God’s loving and undeserved offer of reconciliation? If you haven’t turned to Him in faith and gratitude, I invite you to click here: “Know these Truths”

The Bible makes it clear that by nature we all have a deep hostility toward God in us. This is expressed through evil deeds. We were strangers to God because we loved our sin, and we hated the God who rebuked our sin. We didn’t want to surrender to Him but instead cling to our own plans and ideas.
Since sin was the root cause of the problem, a holy God not only had to deal with the punishment for sin but also with our hearts. We needed to be dramatically transformed with a new heart, which did not love sin and was not hostile to God anymore. Reconciliation was only possible if our sinful nature was changed, and God’s holy wrath was appeased.
And that’s exactly what God did. He appeased His wrath by pouring it out on Jesus, and He made us new creations by faith in Jesus. On the cross, Jesus bore our sins in His own body. When we believe in Him, He pours His transforming power into our lives.
When we trust Jesus for His redemptive work, we are declared righteous. And when we get to heaven, we will finally become in practice what we are now already in position: holy, without blemish, and blameless.

LGG, Christ is All I Need, p 81

Prayer Response

Lord Jesus, even though I was your enemy, you found me and drew me to yourself by your great work on the cross. Thank you for making a way where there was no way. Amen.

Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

The Fullness of God

Posted on by MaryEllen

Today’s Road Map for our Journey through Colossians: Read Colossians 1:15-19 and John 15:1-8; (SOAP: Colossians 1:19)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,
16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him.
17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.
18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son

Colossians 1:15-19 NET

Yesterday’s journey revealed that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. We looked at power of Jesus. The fact that He has always been and will always be. He was there in the beginning, creating with God. He was in the heart of creation, as Paul writes, “all things in heaven and on earth were created in/through Jesus.” God wanted Paul’s readers, us included, to understand that Jesus was not only there in the beginning as part of the creative team (Father, Son, Spirit), but he was fully and creatively involved. As Bibleref.com explains, His creative power “included absolutely everything imaginable: heaven, earth, visible, invisible.” Paul wrote that even “thrones and dominions, principalities or powers ~ all things were created through him and for him.” In other words, as Paul suggests in Romans 11:36 and as John mentioned in John 17:24, “Creation exists for His glory.1“


For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

Romans 11:36

In today’s journey, we continue to look at Paul’s beautiful word portrait of Christ. He portrays Him as the head of the church (the body of Christ). Friends, that’s us; as believers we are the Church. This means Christ is the head of us. We are under His authority. Just as a vine is the source of the branches, so Christ is the source of our faith and salvation. As He told the disciples, we are to abide in Him, yielding to His leadership and control; and our lives should reflect His love. I love the way that today’s LGG journal explains this: “Think of the little branch on the vine. It can do nothing by itself. It needs the sap of the vine to flow into it in order to be of any use. That’s what Jesus is to us. He is the sap, the living water, God’s fullness, flowing into our barren lives.”

That’s what Jesus is to us. He is the sap, the living water, God’s fullness, flowing into our barren lives.”

LGG Journal, Christ Is All I need, p 78

As I was typing that last quote from the book, it made me think of an old hymn I used to love to sing, called “Fill My Cup Lord”. It is a great reminder that while our hearts may respond and even chase after the treasures of this world, none can truly fill us up and satisfy our souls. Only Jesus and the fullness of God’s love that He alone can offer us will be enough, for “The infinite God gives Himself to us in the person of His Son. Jesus is a reservoir full of God’s mercy, love, and grace. We can come to Him whenever we want and receive all we need.2“

Like the woman at the well, I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy.
And then I heard my Savior speaking—
“Draw from My well that never shall run dry.”

(chorus) Fill my cup, Lord;
I lift it up Lord;
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.

There are millions in this world who are seeking
For pleasures earthly goods afford.
But none can match the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.

(chorus)

So my brother if the things that this world gives you
Leave hungers that won’t pass away,
My blessed Lord will come and save you
If you kneel to Him and humbly pray—

(chorus)

Instead of trying to find fulfillment in earthly things, let’s instead go to Him who said: “The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35)

Prayer Response

Lord Jesus, I am empty, but you are full. I am needy, but you are sufficient. You can fill every void in me. I thank you for this reminder and ask that you help me always turn to you instead of the world and its offerings ~ only then will I be truly satisfied; only in You will I find all I need. Thank you. Amen.3

The More We Know

  1. Bibleref.com, Romans 11:36 ↩︎
  2. LGG, Christ Is All I Need, p 78 ↩︎
  3. Adopted in part from LGG, Christ Is All I Need, p78 ↩︎