Devotions

“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth . . . whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

“And He is the head of the body, the church . . . that in all things He may have the preeminence” (verse 18).  

God the Father enthroned Christ as king over all nations and all nature, and as Lord over the church. Paul is saying, “It doesn’t matter what things look like on the outside. Everything may seem out of control and it may look as though the devil has taken power. But the truth is, God has put all things under Jesus’ feet. Christ is still king over everything!”

These passages prove that almighty God has given Jesus Christ dominion over everything. Yet all around us we see our society and government refusing to acknowledge Christ’s authority and kingship. We are removing God from our schools and courts and ignoring Him in the making of our laws.

I believe America’s rejection of Christ’s lordship is the reason behind all the bloodshed, violence, racial hatred, moral decay, drug abuse, and even the outbreak of deadly sexual diseases in our society. Lawmakers, educators, and the media have made God an unspeakable subject.

Even worse, Jesus is being dethroned in churches throughout the land and in the lives of multitudes of believers. It’s understandable that ungodly people would want to dethrone Christ, but how it must grieve the Father to see Him dethroned by those who call themselves by His name!

Because God has made Christ to be all things to the church, we are to have no other resource, reference or counselor before Jesus. All the church’s government, guidance, and counsel are to come from Him: “The government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). 

Many Christians today are exhausted by their efforts to ward off sin. They are drained of every last ounce of joy, and the victory Christ won for them gets lost in their dogged efforts to establish a righteousness of their own.

Righteousness that is pursued by anything other than faith will always fail. You see, there cannot be both God’s righteousness and our own. That would mean there are two gospels: His and ours. We cannot mix our self-righteousness with God’s holy righteousness.

But aren’t we supposed to put forth some effort? Doesn’t the Bible say we are to avoid sin? Yes, but there is only one way for us to avoid sin and that is through Jesus. He is not just a truth we accept, He is the living God and His sanctifying work never stops day or night.

Paul answers the question of self-effort in Romans 9. He speaks of a people who actually attained righteousness: “[The] Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith” (Romans 9:30). These people did not get worn down by their own efforts; they were not weighed down by their failures. They put all their faith in Jesus’ work on the cross for them — and they were sustained by His abundant life.

“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4). This verse has brought freedom to all generations of believers. Christ is the end. There is nothing else! “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:16).

Friend, are you worn down from trying to do better? Are you weary of the endless cycle of recommitment and failure? Then put it all behind you; let your striving end. Your right standing with the Lord does not depend upon your will but on God, who has mercy on us.

Most agree that the Song of Solomon is a representation of Christ and His Bride. In this book we find an important verse, a request to the Bridegroom coming from those who know Him: “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, while our vineyards are in blossom” (Song of Solomon 2:15, NASB).

When you consider the size of a vineyard, a fox seems fairly insignificant. Nevertheless, a little fox has the potential to eat up the grapes and diminish the beauty of a blossoming vineyard. In the same way, you and I may find ourselves in a fruitful season — a time when things we have prayed and believed for are coming to pass. Yet we must take heed, for often there are little things in our lives that, if left unattended, can greatly diminish our testimony. We see an example of this in the book of Matthew.  

“When [Jesus and His disciples] had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, ‘Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?’ He said, ‘Yes’” (Matthew 17:24-25, NKJV). Up to this point, almost everything in Peter’s walk with Jesus had gone well. It was a fruitful season! However, Jesus knew that small things in Peter’s life needed to be dealt with, lest his future fruitfulness be diminished.

When Peter was approached by the collectors of the temple tax, he lied! Neither he nor Jesus had actually paid the temple tax. Later Jesus explains to Peter that they are not required to pay that tax (see Matthew 17:25-26). “Only strangers pay taxes. We are sons of the One who owns the temple! Therefore, there is no penalty for us.”

This is a type of you and me realizing that our sins are covered. Because we came to Christ, we have been forgiven. All our failings and shortcomings were fully covered by the sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary.

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. 

Do you wake up every day in anguish over a besetting habit or lust in your life? God knows all about the sin remaining in your heart. He knows you hate it and have wept over it and He wants you to hear this word: “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him and I am helped” (Psalm 28:7).

Satan wants you to be afraid that you will never be delivered, never be free. But David said, “I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4).

God says to all grieving, hurting saints, “Fear not! I see and know all your suffering and I will not allow Satan to destroy you.”

You may ask, “But what am I to do? How can I have the Lord’s peace in all this?” The answer is found in God’s word to Moses and Israel. With the sea before them, an enemy behind them, and no place to turn, God commanded them, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. . . . The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:13-14).

This last phrase, “Hold your peace,” means no more worrying, no more trying to figure everything out on your own. Instead, trust God to make a way for you.

Joshua and his army had to march all night to Gibeon, where they faced a massive military machine. Joshua looked down at the battlefield and saw the valley filled with mighty chariots and well-trained infantrymen — yet, all he had was a band of weary, unskilled troops.

“The Lord said to Joshua, Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you” (Joshua 10:8).

God declared victory even before Joshua went into battle! He said, “The victory is already won. Now, go and fight, knowing I have promised you the victory.”

That is the message of the cross! The victory has already been won for us. 

“You shall not be afraid of them” (Deuteronomy 7:18). For Israel, “them” represented the massive, well-armed heathen nations they faced. For us today, “them” represents every problem, trouble, and overwhelming difficulty we face in life.

God tells us that we are not to fear! And because He says so, no other explanation is needed. He is all powerful and wholly aware of the satanic strongholds we face. He knows every trial and temptation that Satan will ever throw at us. And still He commands us, “You shall not fear any of them!”

Abraham was living in a strange country, surrounded by powerful kings, not knowing where he would end up. Yet, God’s first word to him was, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” (Genesis 15:1).

The meaning of this verse is, “I will be a wall around you, your protector, your defense.” In essence, God was telling Abraham, “You are going to face difficulties but I will protect you through them all.” Abraham responded by believing God’s word to him: “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (verse 6).

Abraham’s son Isaac also lived in a hostile environment, surrounded by Philistines who hated him, harassed him, and wanted him off their land. Scripture says that every time Isaac dug a well for a supply of water, the Philistines filled it back up (see Genesis 26:15).

Everywhere Isaac went he felt nothing but contention. A cloud of doubt formed over him and he wondered if he could ever make it. But God gave Isaac the same word He had given Abraham: “Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake” (Genesis 26:24).

Today, like Isaac, we are the children of Abraham and God makes the same promise to us: “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).