002 - Jesus Over Everything
There are 6 verses of Scripture, written by Paul the Apostle, that really fire me up and lift my confidence. To be clear, they lift my confidence in Christ, not self; however, I become confident in all things because of the confidence I have in Christ who is in me. When I read these 6 verses, it engages a resilience in me to follow Christ with even more passion and diligence. In his letter to the Christians in the city of Colossae, Paul describes to them the centrality of Jesus. He tells them the place Jesus has as the Christ over all things, and He should also take the same place in our lives.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 1:15-20
Stressful Problems
You know what sucks about life? Problems. Whether it’s relational, financial, medical, biological, or anything in between, life’s beautiful moments are often accompanied by stressful problems. You can be the most faithful Jesus follower, and you’ll still have stressful problems. You can be the most faithful atheist, and you’ll still have stressful problems. Stressful problems and beautiful moments are like rain and sunshine: we all eventually experience both.
Stressful problems don’t show up alone; they bring along their ugly friend, Worry. And you know what? Worry is downpayment on a problem you may never have! Worry releases chemicals in our brains that get into our good bodies and cause physical ailments. That’s right - worry manifests itself physically, not just emotionally, and always negatively. It can result in sickness, disease, even weight gain or weight loss. Worry has no place in the mind of a follower of Jesus, so go ahead and deliver the eviction notice.
Here’s the thing: your freedom (even from worry) has already been paid for by Jesus. These 6 verses in Colossians 1:15-20 show us Christ’s rightful and inherent place over all things. When we read this passage and realize that the One who is in all, through all, and over all is the same One who lives in us, we can begin to live in such a way that stressful problems no longer bring us worry. Instead, they bring us even more confidence in Christ, knowing that everything is under his authority and power, and He who has never failed isn’t going to start now.
Fact: Jesus is Over Everything
Since Jesus is in all, through all, and over all, in order for your life to align with the order of all things in every way, Jesus needs to be in you, through you, and over you too. Repeat: Jesus needs to be in you, through you, and over you too. Not just you, but everything and everyone in your life.
Life is only in its proper function and design when Jesus is over all of it. Humanity is the only aspect of creation that chooses the place of Jesus. What we choose doesn’t change His actual place; however, it does change our place. We can either be in line with the ebb and flow of life or we can be struggling to fight against it. If you want to live your best life, you need to put Jesus over everything. It’s just the only way the puzzle of life fits together.
Let me get practical with you. Until Jesus is over your marriage, it will always be a fighting struggle with your wife. Until Jesus is over your finances, you’ll stress your way through every paycheck and investment. Until Jesus is over your parenting, it’ll always be a battle to have a healthy relationship with your kids. Until Jesus is over your job, you’ll never be truly fulfilled with your work. Until Jesus is over your relationship with food and drink, you’ll never be able to enjoy either, because both will control you. Until Jesus is over your body, you’ll never be happy with it. Until Jesus is over your thought life, your thoughts will sabotage your contentment. Until Jesus is over your problems, you’ll always worry about every circumstance you face.
Now let’s get real. Jesus has authority over all of those things anyway, but until you choose to put Him in His rightful place, your life will always be misaligned. It will always be a struggle when Jesus isn’t over everything in your life. I’m not saying when Jesus is over everything in your life that it all becomes easy and all your problems go away. What I am saying is that even when the circumstances are gloomy, you’ll have unreasonable internal peace when Jesus is over everything in your life. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. You’ll have unreasonable internal stress even when the circumstances are peaceful if Jesus isn’t over everything in your life.
Cue the Confidence
As I relayed in the intro, this passage does more than present the centrality and position of Jesus. It also emboldens a confidence that can only come from knowing Who is within you. The One who holds all things together lives within you. The One who is in, through, and over all things lives within you. The One who has first place in all of creation lives within you. The One who has the authority over all things, visible and invisible, lives within you. Christ in you is more than enough to fulfill, sustain, redeem, protect, equip, and empower you. The victory over death and life has already been won. Peace has already been harnessed and is freely yours for the taking. Salvation has been granted, and freedom has been delivered. So in your soul and over your life make this declaration today and every day: Jesus over everything!
