I have been alive in Jesus for many years now. Yet, the shadows of my old self still hide in corners of my heart.  The lies and anguish of my old, impoverished, and dead self still echo through my mind and heart.  They seek for light and strength.  But today I slay them in Jesus name.  For here is the truth: I am alive in Christ.  I have been restored to the living God! 

And this is how:

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell…”

The Son of God came to us and put on flesh.  He is God.  He is not far from us.  For He came to dwell among us, to know our suffering, and to make it possible to be with Him forever. 

“and through him to reconcile to himself all things whether on earth of in heaven…”

The Lord God has reconciled the world to himself.  He did this by the person of Jesus Christ.  God does not want a single person to be separated eternally from His love, His Presence, or His goodness.  He made us in His image that we might exist in Him and rejoice in His beauty and glory forever.  We were made for this, but lost it all when our father and mother, Adam and Eve, rebelled against our Maker and went their own way.  They separated us from the God of life and killed us and corrupted us from our former glory.  But God through Christ changed all that.  He made it possible to be brought home, made whole, and restored back to where we belong.

“making peace by the blood of his cross.”

This binding back of God and humanity did not happen without terrible violence, for a cost had to be paid.  All the wrongs of the world had to be punished in order for such a restoration to happen.  Imagine all the weight of every wrong falling on one man.  The anguish, the horrid pain and agony.  We can hear it in the voice of Christ as He cried out these words from the cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).  The holy and blameless Son of God became ugly and wretched sin for you and me (2 Corinthians 5:21).  The cross was the place of wrath.  The cross was the place of restoration.  His blood that was poured out, from His hands, His feet, His forehead, His side.  It was poured out for us.  It was poured out because of us.  It was poured out for the sake of God’s glory that He might be exalted and we might gain eternal life.

This is why holy week is so precious to the follower of Jesus Christ.  May every believer who still wrestles with their heart be reminded again that our Savior has finished the work.  It is done.

May all those looking for hope and peace and everlasting life find that it has been offered to you through this word of God today: “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).

In Christ and Him alone is my soul made alive and finds its rest!  Blessed holy week!