Weekly Devotional – May 4-8
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Monday: Jane & Her Walking Group
It was just after seven when Jane met Marsha and Diane at the corner for their Monday walk. Jane had been away visiting her mother and had missed Sunday’s service. “So what did I miss?” she asked. “A lot,” Marsha said. “Pastor asked the Jesus question in a way I had not heard. We all know the one — who do you say that I am. That is about His identity. Peter got it right. The Christ of God.” “But he pushed it further,” Diane said. “He asked what role Jesus plays in the entire Bible storyline from Genesis to Revelation. And the answer is so much bigger than Savior.” “He walked through it,” Marsha said. “Jesus is Creator. He is Sustainer — the world holds together because He holds it together. He is preeminent, first in everything. Heir of all things. Defender of His Kingdom. The One restoring all things. And He is coming back as King.” Jane was quiet. “So he wants us to expand how we worship Jesus?” “Yes,” Diane said. “And here is what hit me. The songs, the signs, the messages we love — almost all about the cross. Which is good. But we have no habit of worshiping Him as Creator or Sustainer. Marsha said. “What stayed with me was Pastor saying you can be grateful to Jesus for saving you and still not live like He is in charge. That is what we miss when we only see Him as Savior.”
What Scripture Says:
Colossians 1:18 — “…in all things he might have the preeminence.” Paul was writing to believers who already knew the cross. What they needed to see was that in all things Jesus must have first place. Your Christian life reaches its depth when Jesus is first in everything, not just thanked for one thing.
Philippians 2:9–11 — “God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Paul does not say every knee will bow because He saved us. Every knee bows because of who He is. His exaltation is the basis of worship and submission. You cannot take Jesus seriously as the One above every name and live like He is optional most of your day.
Hebrews 1:2-3 — “…whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;…upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” In two verses Hebrews names Jesus as heir of all things, maker of the worlds, upholder of all things, the One who purged our sins, and the One seated at the right hand of God. Heir. Creator. Sustainer. Savior. King. All in one breath. That is the Jesus we are called to worship
Tuesday:
Jane, Marsha, and Diane kept walking. The Creator part of the sermon was still on their minds. Diane picked it up as they turned the corner. “Pastor opened to Colossians 1 and read it. All things were created by Him and for Him. Every star, every ocean, every person. Jesus did that.” “And John 1 said the same thing,” Marsha said. “All things were made by Him. Without Him was nothing made that was made. He was there before anything was there.” “I have read those verses for decades,” Jane said. “I am not sure I have ever really stopped to take them in. Jesus made all of it. The mountains from our back porch. The bird we are hearing right now. Our bodies.” “Our children,” Diane said. “Our grandchildren. Every person we have ever loved. Jesus made each one on purpose.” “And the kindness of it,” Marsha said. “He chose to speak it all into being. The power that took. The love it reflects.” “The breath in my lungs,” Jane said. “The daylight we are walking in. The friends I am walking with. All of it traces back to Jesus.” “That is what Pastor wanted us to see,” Diane said. “Jesus is far bigger than we have been imagining. The more we see Him, the more room our worship has to grow.” “That makes me appreciate Jesus so much more than I did before.”
What Scripture Says:
Colossians 1:16 — “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible…all things were created by him, and for him.” Everything you can see and everything you cannot see — Jesus made it. The stars. The oceans. The people in your life. All of it came from Him. That includes you. You were made by Jesus and for Jesus. He is bigger than we have imagined.
John 1:3 — “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Jesus was present before anything else. He spoke the world into being. Nothing exists apart from Him. Your life, your breath, the morning you are in — all from His hand. When you stop and take that in, worship grows.
Revelation 4:11 — “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Heaven worships Jesus for one reason here — He created everything. That same worship is open to you right now. Worship Him the way heaven does. For who He is. For what He has made. For the simple fact that He is the Creator of everything.
What did Jesus make today that you can stop and worship Him for?
Wednesday:
Jane, Marsha, and Diane kept walking. Jane said, “What I liked from Sunday was how Pastor walked through the whole Bible and showed where Jesus fits in all of it. He started with Jesus as Creator, then showed how everything moves forward through the promises, then the cross, and then how it all ends with Him as King.” Marsha said, “That is what helped me too. I have always known those parts, but seeing them connected like that made it clear how everything fits together.” Diane said, “When he read those verses about Jesus creating all things, holding all things together, and being heir of all things, it showed that He is involved in every part of the story from beginning to end.” Jane said, “Yes, and when he said all history comes together in Christ, that helped me see where everything is going. It is not just events happening, it is all moving toward Him.” Marsha said, “That is what made it powerful for me. You can start in Genesis and follow it all the way through and see that God is working everything toward Jesus.” Diane said, “Creation shows who He is, the promises show what God is doing over time, the cross shows what He came to accomplish, and the end shows Him ruling over everything.” Jane said, “That helped me connect things I already knew. I just had not been putting them together like that when I read.” Marsha said, “Same here. I would read one section and stay there, but now I am thinking about how it fits into the whole story.” Diane said, “And it makes you pay attention differently. You start asking where this passage fits and what it shows about Jesus in that part of the story.” Jane said, “That is what I want to do this week. Just slow down and read with that in mind, seeing how everything connects back to Him and what God is doing through Him.”
What Scripture Says:
Ephesians 1:10 — “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ…”
Hebrews 1:2–3 — “…whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;…upholding all things by the word of his power…”
Colossians 1:18 — “…that in all things he might have the preeminence.”
Thursday:
Later that evening, Jane sat down with John and told him about the walk. “We kept talking about Sunday, and one part stayed with me,” she said. “Pastor said Jesus did more than save us from sin. He is restoring all things.” John nodded. “That is a big part of the story. Salvation is not the end of what He is doing. It is part of a larger work.” Jane said, “That is what I was thinking about. I usually think about being forgiven and going to Heaven, but he showed how sin affected everything, not just us.” John said, “Yes, sin damaged creation, it distorted how we live, how we think, how we relate to God. Restoration means Jesus is putting things back the way God intended.” Jane said, “He mentioned that Jesus is restoring us to reflect God’s image again.” John said, “And that is happening now, not just later. He is changing how we think, how we respond, how we live. That is part of the restoration.” Jane said, “That helps me understand why the Christian life is ongoing. It is not just a moment when we are saved. It is God continuing to work in us.” John said, “And it is bigger than just us. He is going to restore creation too. Everything affected by sin will be made right.” Jane said, “That makes the storyline clearer. Creation was good, sin damaged it, and Jesus is restoring it.” John said, “And one day that restoration will be complete. Everything will be brought back under His rule the way it was meant to be.” Jane said, “That gives me a different way to look at things now. When I see things that are broken, I know that is not the end of the story.” John said, “And it gives direction for how we live. We are part of what He is restoring. The way we live should reflect what He is doing in us.” Jane said, “That is what I want to focus on. Not just being thankful for being saved, but letting Him continue His work in me.”
What Scripture Says:
Acts 3:21 — “…whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things…”
Romans 8:21 — “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
Colossians 1:20 — “…by him to reconcile all things unto himself…”
Friday:
That night, after talking through everything from the week, John and Jane sat quietly for a moment. Jane said, “We have talked about all of this, but I do not want to just understand it. I want it to affect how I respond to Jesus.” John nodded. “That is where it needs to go. If He is Creator, Sustainer, Heir, Restorer, and King, then He deserves more than a quick thank you.” Jane said, “That is what I was thinking. I usually thank Him for saving me, but this week has helped me see there is more to thank Him for.” John said, “Let’s just take time and thank Him for each part of who He is.” Jane agreed, and they bowed their heads. John began, “Lord, thank You for creating all things, including us. Thank You for giving us life and purpose.” Jane continued, “Thank You for sustaining us. Every breath we take, every day we live, You are holding it together.” John said, “Thank You for saving us from sin and making a way for us to be forgiven and brought back to You.” Jane said, “Thank You for restoring us, for continuing to change us and for the promise that You will make all things right.” John paused and then said, “And thank You that You are King, that everything is under Your authority and will be brought fully under Your rule.” Jane said, “Help us to live like that is true. Help us to give You first place in how we think, what we choose, and how we live.” They sat quietly for a moment after praying. Jane said, “That helped me slow down and actually think about who He is, not just what He has done.” John said, “And it makes you want to live differently when you remember all of that.” Jane nodded. “That is what I want to carry with me. Not just what I learned this week, but responding to Jesus for who He is every day.”
What Scripture Says:
Colossians 1:16–18 — “For by him were all things created…and by him all things consist…that in all things he might have the preeminence.”
Philippians 2:9–11 — “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him…that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”
Revelation 5:9 — “Thou art worthy…for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood…”