That Jesus Would Be Preeminent

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Colossians 1:18 (ESV)

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,

that in everything he might be preeminent.

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Daily Devotionals

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Wednesday, March 19

 

Genesis 2:16-17 & Genesis 3:1 (NIV)

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

 

Just as Eve was deceived… that was Paul’s concern in 2 Corinthians 11:3 because deception will corrupt our pure devotion to Christ. So, how was Eve deceived? To recognize deception, we must first know the truth. What did God say?

 

We see in Genesis 2 that God said to Adam and Eve that they could eat from any tree, except one. God is not interested in burdening us with unnecessary rules, but he is interested in giving us the choice that love requires. It would be easy to maintain our simple devotion to Jesus if that was the only option. The question is, will our devotion remain when there are other options available?

 

Did God really say? The serpent in the garden was crafty, cunning, deceptive. He doesn’t just lie, the attempt is to get you to believe that God lies—that he’s somehow unfaithful, even in the smallest way. If we allow him to plant even the tiniest seed of doubt concerning what God has said, it can lead us away from simple devotion to Jesus faster than we think.

 

Can you relate to that? Have you ever questioned the word of God, even in a subtle way? We all have! The good news is that it’s our choice—we don’t have to allow present circumstances or our feelings to become preeminent. Ask the Lord to show you the truth of his word, so you won’t be deceived. Get rooted in the word of God and let it become the foundation of your life—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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Tuesday, March 18

 

Ephesians 5:25-27 (NIV)

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

 

Yesterday, we read 2 Corinthians 11:2 which says we’re promised as a pure bride to Christ. Marriage is God’s design and a healthy one is actually a picture of the relationship between Jesus and his church (Ephesians 5:31-32). Don’t worry men, that doesn’t mean we take on a feminine role, it simply speaks of the covenant nature that our relationship with Jesus has.

 

Would you want to marry someone that isn’t faithful to you? Likewise, Jesus desires a church that is faithful and pure. If we’re saved, we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus through his sacrificial death on the cross, yet we’re still called to live a holy life, for he desires a pure bride.

 

This purity isn’t just the absence of sin, it’s the longing to fully devote ourselves to Jesus alone. Our simple devotion to him impacts the rest of our life. Our yes to Jesus is a no to every thing that competes for our affection. Our simple devotion to Jesus is a powerful statement to the rest of the world: Jesus is first in all things.

 

Can you relate to that? Do you see Jesus sacrificially loving his church as a husband should love his wife? Jesus’ devotion to us should provoke simple devotion to him, that we may be a pure bride—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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Monday, March 17

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2 Corinthians 11:2-4 (NLT)

2 For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. 3 But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 4 You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

 

Most of us start things with good intentions. Nobody gets married with intentions to divorce. Nobody has children with intentions to make poor parenting decisions. Nobody starts their dream job with intentions to become miserable. So, what happens? We know that people are complicated and relationships are even more complicated.

 

It’s the same when we make the decision to follow Jesus. Nobody gets saved with intentions to backslide, fall away or become deceived, yet it happens frequently. How do we stop this from happening to us? Notice the warning in verse three: Don’t allow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ to become corrupted. Corruption is possible, yet avoidable.

 

The solution is simple devotion to Jesus. We’re not called to merely be devoted to spiritual leaders, ministries, morality, miracles, spiritual disciplines or good theology. While those things can be good, we’re ultimately called to be devoted to Jesus himself. Any other love or motivation that is not rooted in him (even if it’s something good), starts us on the path of the corruption that verse three is talking about.

 

Can you relate to that? In your relationship with Jesus, has something other than him become your desire or motive? Repent and commit to simple devotion to Christ today. This is not just for ‘beginner christians’, every believer must do this for life. Even in our specific gifting and calling, we must keep our simple devotion to him alone—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

 

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*** No daily devotional for Sunday, March 16 ***

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Saturday, March 15

 

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

Somewhere beyond the obligations of life are the things we desire to build, accomplish and become. Many people go after money, recognition and power. Some go after experiences, adventure and memories. Still others go after romance, sex and relationships.

 

Even those that go after good things need to define their ultimate desire. What do you daydream about when no one else is around? What are your desires outside your present experience? What do you gravitate toward when you’re experiencing hardship? What are your non-negotiable goals in life?

 

Jesus said those things define what we treasure. This means that over the years, our life will follow the path of our desires. This impacts decisions we make, goals we set, relationships we value—it affects everything about our lives. The importance of what we treasure cannot be overstated.

 

Can you relate to that? Have you chased after lesser things? Has what you’ve treasured taken you somewhere you don’t want to be? The good news is that can change. In a culture that promotes consumerism and a me-first mindset it’s easy to forget that our desires can be transformed. We change what we treasure by cultivating a pure heart for Jesus. Do we merely value being a good person, going to church, serving in ministry and spiritual disciplines? Or do we value the person of Jesus above all else—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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Friday, March 14

 

Matthew 6:1 (NIV)

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

 

We are called to live for righteousness (1 Peter 2:24), to seek the Lord’s righteousness (Matthew 6:33), and to hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 6:4). So, what’s the issue here? Jesus is showing us once again that our heart matters most. Even those who do acts of righteousness can do them with an impure heart. In other words, you can do the right thing in the wrong way.

 

Jesus is addressing people who would show off their ‘righteousness’ in order to appear more spiritual. He’s uses three examples (giving, prayer and fasting) to teach us the way to do those things. I love how Jesus doesn’t leave us in the dark or complicate things. He tells us plainly what he desires. 

 

The solution is not to stop practicing righteousness, it’s to do those things with a pure heart. Knowing that the righteous things we do are seen by the Lord and rewarded by him, even when others don’t know about it, is powerful motivation for a pure heart.

 

Can you relate to that? Have you ever let someone know about something good you did or hoped people were watching while doing something spiritual? The good news is that you can choose humility and learn from Jesus. The reality that the Father sees us and will reward us for righteousness must become fuel for a pure heart. We ultimately live for an audience of One, and his opinion is the only one that matters—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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Thursday, March 13

 

Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28 (NIV)

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

 

You have heard that it was said… but I tell you… Jesus is not contradicting the word of God, he is defining the word of God. It appears he is being extremely strict—he is! However, he’s not trying to make things hard for us, he’s showing us what really matters to him.

 

Suppose you have a weed that you want to get rid of. Do you trim it neatly close to the ground and hope it doesn’t grow any taller? Of course not. If you want to truly deal with that weed, you pull the roots out of the ground—then it has no chance of survival. This is what Jesus is doing. He’s not interested in trimming your outward behavior—he wants to uproot it at the heart level!

 

People tend to be more interested in outward behavior, but the Lord is more interested in our heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7). In these two examples (anger and lust), Jesus knows that if we don’t desire these things in our hearts, they won’t express themselves outwardly—a pure heart is a dead end for sin.

 

Can you relate to that? We may not have committed murder or adultery, yet we’ve all been angry and lusted. If you struggle with any sin, focus on your heart. When our hearts are pure and desire Jesus above all else, the outward behavior takes care of itself. Surrender to him and cultivate a pure heart—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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Wednesday, March 12

 

Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

 

We know that the Lord desires for us to have pure hearts. Yet, in this teaching from Jesus, we see one of the direct benefits of that: seeing him. This is so vital to following Jesus. How can we know him and be like him if we can’t properly see him?

 

If the pure in heart see God, then it’s safe to say the less pure you are, the less you see God. Purity isn’t the addition of rules, it’s the absence of sin. An impure heart can’t see because of additives that taint our perspective. You can even be immersed in the Bible or in ministry, but without a pure heart you won’t see Jesus correctly.

 

A pure heart removes our bias and agenda, stripping everything down, until Jesus is preeminent in our thoughts, emotions, speech, motives and actions. This allows us to see Jesus for who he his, not what we make him to be. If Jesus is going to be preeminent in our lives, we must see him rightly, otherwise we’re superimposing an image of Jesus on our preferences.

 

Can you relate to that? Do you desire to see God? When is the last time you saw Jesus with fresh eyes? Choose to live with a pure heart, so you may see him better—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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Tuesday, March 11

 

Psalm 51:16-19 (NIV)

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

 

David continues his prayer with great revelation. God was the one who asked for sacrifices, yet David knew that was only an expression of the real priority—his heart.

 

Whatever we sacrifice for God (our money, time, energy, relationships, etc) must be an overflow of our ultimate sacrifice: our heart—a broken, humble, surrendered heart to Jesus. If we don’t have that in place, no other sacrifice matters. That is the sacrifice holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1).

 

David says God does not delight in sacrifices, then goes on to say that God will delight in sacrifices. Well, which one is it? It’s the statement in between that clarifies this. His sacrifice was a broken and contrite heart, because God will not despise that—it’s what he’s really looking for. It’s not that God doesn’t want sacrifice, it’s that he wants sacrifice with a right heart. Otherwise you’re just going through motions that are meaningless. 

 

Can you relate to that? Offering God something when your heart isn’t in it? It’s a good practice to engage our hearts with Jesus before we do something for him. When we gather for worship, give our tithe, read our bible, etc—are we going through motions or is our heart engaged with the Lord, surrendered to him—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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Monday, March 10

 

Psalm 51:10-12 (NIV)

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 

This was part of King David’s prayer after he had an affair with Bathsheba, got her pregnant and had her husband Uriah killed. Although David sinned, he had revelation of the root cause of his failure. David didn’t ask for behavior modification, he asked for a pure heart.

 

David continues his prayer by asking for the presence of the Lord to stay with him. This is vital for a pure heart because it’s not something we can do in our own strength. If you desire a pure heart, just know that you need the Holy Spirit, for the Lord is the only One who is pure and therefore can create purity in us.

 

The beauty of the gospel is that Jesus cleanses us and transforms us completely. David lived before Jesus died on the cross, yet the Lord said of him: David is a man after my own heart and he did everything I wanted him to do. If this can be said about David, it can be said about you. A pure heart is possible with Jesus.

 

Can you relate to David? Maybe you’ve never had anyone killed, but we’ve all sinned and acted selfishly. This is an area we all need to grow in. Humble yourself and ask the Lord to give you a pure heart. Be quick to repent. Question your motives, even when doing something good. Don’t live for yourself. Surrender to Jesus. Depend on the Lord and lean into his righteousness, for our purity comes from him—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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*** No daily devotional for Sunday, March 9 ***

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Saturday, March 8

 

Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

 

Many—not some, not a few—many will give Jesus their ministry resume: we prophesied, cast out demons and performed many miracles. This is amazing. Those are things Jesus did and tells us to do, too. Have you ever done any of those things? In our culture, any one of those things would turn quite a few heads.

 

Yet, Jesus is not impressed. In fact, he calls them evildoers! What? No “good job” or “attaboy”? Why would Jesus say that? These people valued ministry and gifts above Jesus himself. Anything we value above Jesus himself is an idol (even church and ministry). Since this is a group of people, the reasons for this many vary, yet the common denominator is that they didn’t know Jesus (have a right relationship with him) because he was not preeminent in their lives.

 

This shows us that it’s possible to prioritize ministry over Jesus. It seems obvious, but it happens all the time. We often get caught up in doing things for God that we forget to do things with God. Ministry is pointless if you don’t have a proper relationship with Jesus because all ministry should lead to greater relationship with Jesus.

 

Can you relate to this? Maybe you’ve never drove out a demon, but you would  say to Jesus, I went to church, I tithed my income, I volunteered for that ministry, I was a good person. Those can be good things, yet they will never replace Jesus or your relationship with him. The point is not to eliminate ministry, the point is to know Jesus and have ministry be the overflow of your relationship with him.

 

At Praise Cathedral, our highest value is Jesus himself and becoming his dwelling place. In this passage, Jesus ends up saying away from me! That’s the exact opposite of what we desire. This means that we need to make sure we’re not serving him without knowing him—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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Friday, March 7

 

Mark 7:6-8 (NIV)

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

 

This is Jesus response to the pharisees and teachers of the law when they challenged his disciples. Jesus quotes the Old Testament and applied it to them, calling them out on their hypocrisy. We’ve all been called out on a hypocritical moment—man that hurts!

 

Why would they honor God verbally, yet inwardly be far from him? They failed to make Jesus preeminent. They valued what worshipped looked like more than who they were worshipping. Jesus will always bring it back to our hearts. We have a tendency to be better at outward behavior than inward intentions. We get settled into a habit and develop muscle memory, even in worship.

 

Can you relate to that? Being good at singing the songs, lifting your hands, bowing our heads, yet being far from God? The good news is that we can choose to fix that right now. The most important thing about worship is Jesus—not the songs, not the worship leader, not the style of music, not the lighting, not if the lyrics are on the screen—Jesus. When we focus on him, nothing else matters.

 

There were many people in the church of Colossae who relied on tradition and manmade rules because they lost connection with the head—Jesus (Colossians 2:19). The solution is to stay connected to Jesus. Forget the ‘what’ and focus on the ‘who’—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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Thursday, March 6

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1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV)

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

 

The man who wrote this, Paul, was extremely intelligent. He knew the scriptures, he knew effective styles of communicating to display wisdom, rhetoric and persuasion (which were all very popular in his day)—his TED talk would be viral! It seems noble and wise that you would use your gifts to preach the gospel. Wouldn’t you want your pastor to be eloquent, wise, and persuasive?

 

Yet Paul says something shocking: I resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified. What? Doesn’t that seem like a waste of the talent God gave him? However, Paul knew that the gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). He knew the gospel doesn’t need to be propped up, nor could anything we add make it “better”. Paul preached showcasing his weakness in order to demonstrate God’s power.

 

Why would Paul do that? He had made Jesus preeminent, even over his gifting and knowledge. This resulted in other people making Jesus preeminent in their lives—now their faith would be in God’s power, not in human wisdom.

 

While our culture tries to distract us with many issues that seemingly demand our attention, our focus must remain: Jesus Christ and him crucified. We’re not ignoring legitimate issues, but we know that Jesus must be first and his gospel is the answer to every issue in life.

 

Have you relied on human wisdom, logic and reason so much that you prioritize it over Jesus himself? Commit to know nothing except Jesus, for he is enough. Commit to know nothing except Jesus, to demonstrate the Spirit’s power. Commit to know nothing except Jesus—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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Wednesday, March 5

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Philippians 3:3-14 (NIV)

For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 

This is from one of Paul’s letters to the church. He was addressing an issue where some people thought they had a right relationship with God by obeying the law instead of Jesus sacrifice—religion. They failed to make Jesus preeminent by prioritizing what they could do in their own strength over Jesus himself. We’re told that we shouldn’t put any confidence in our own effort—it’s only by Jesus sacrificial death that we can have a relationship with him. The danger of religion is that it looks like God while actually keeping you from God.

 

No matter how many religious accomplishments we may have, they mean literally nothing compared to knowing Jesus (Paul said they were garbage). This is good news because most of us don’t have many (or any) religious accomplishments, especially at the level Paul did. This means our background, upbringing, education, economic status, social status, age or gender doesn’t affect the relationship we can have with Jesus. It’s all based on who he is and what he has done.

 

Can you relate to that? Thinking you have to uphold some religious burden to maintain a relationship with Jesus? We’ve all done this to some degree. The enemy tries to make us feel unworthy to have a relationship with Jesus in order to make us try to earn it. The good news is that the blood of Jesus not only makes us worthy, but invites us to come as close to Jesus as we want. It’s time to throw out all the religion in our lives—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.

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Tuesday, March 4

 

John 5:39-40 (NIV)

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

 

This was Jesus speaking to some religious leaders. These leaders were looking for eternal life, so they studied the Bible like crazy. I mean, what better place to find truth and meaning?

 

Yet, they didn’t understand the point of what they were reading. These leaders valued the word of God above God himself. Jesus had to tell them that the very thing they were reading pointed to him. Meaning, even if you read/study the Bible every day and don’t come to Jesus himself, you’re missing the whole point of scripture. 

 

The beauty of scripture is that it reveals Jesus, and rolls out the red carpet, inviting us to come directly to him. Does that mean we don’t need the Bible? Absolutely not! We desperately need the Bible. There is no competition between God and scripture (Jesus is the Word of God). However, if we don’t allow the Bible to lead us to the person of Jesus, then we’re defeating our own purpose. 

 

Can you relate to that? We’ve all done it on some level. Prioritizing theology over God. Theology should lead us to God, not merely teach of facts about God, while keeping a safe distance from him. That only produces knowledge without revelation and pride that fuels our need to be right over knowing the person of Jesus through the revelation of scripture.

 

So yes, read and study the scriptures diligently. But do so with a heart to draw near to Jesus—to know him, become like him and to glorify him—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things. 

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Monday, March 3

 

Revelation 2:2-5 (NIV)

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

 

This is part of a letter from Jesus to the church, so he’s addressing people who are saved. Jesus recognizes and commends their hard work, intolerance of wickedness, discernment and endurance even through hardships—what a church!

 

Yet, there is something terribly wrong with them. Though the things previously mentioned are good, they have forsaken their first love. This was no minor slip up, it’s a far fall from what Jesus intended—without this, nothing else matters. How could this happen? How could they be so great at certain things and still be so far off that Jesus is correcting them with such intensity?

 

It seems as though they failed to make Jesus preeminent. They valued the things of God over God himself. They stopped their simple devotion to Jesus and loving him and became a machine that looks good from the outside, but fails to prioritize Jesus in their hearts.

 

Can you relate to that? Being faithful to church and ministry, yet losing your love for Jesus? We’ve all done it at times, maybe for a long time.

 

The good news is that Jesus simply tells us to turn back to him (repent). Return to prioritizing Jesus himself. Ask the Lord to keep your heart tender and to help you love him above all else—that Jesus would be preeminent in all things.