Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

We think of Jesus as having been born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger, which He was, but He was “born” before the beginning of time. Physicists will tell you that time is dependent on matter, and this verse tells us that Christ was born before anything was created. I think that rendering, influenced by the Japanese translation, is a bit easier to understand than “firstborn.” As a matter of fact, something struck me just now from the Japanese. The Japanese word for “teacher” is “sensei,” written with two characters that mean “ahead” and “born,” or “alive.” That is to say, a teacher is someone who was alive before you were, and therefore has something to teach you. Those two characters are used in this verse. Jesus, having been alive before anything else existed, is the ultimate Teacher! That such a supreme Being would humble Himself so far as to be born as a helpless human baby, as Paul expounds on in Philippians 2:5-11, is absolutely mind boggling. The problem is, most of us are so used to the Christmas story that we take it for granted, or else we take it as strictly a story and dismiss it as a myth. That’s downright tragic. As it says in John 3:16, God went to all that trouble out of love for us, His creation, and when we fail to accept it we are essentially flipping off God. Guess where that gets us! God knows all our faults and failings and yet loves us anyway, enough to send His Son to die for us. Even the least appreciation for that should make us cling to Him in obedient love!

This is of course the Gospel I preach. Many, many times I wish I could flip a switch and open someone’s heart to God’s grace, but of course I can’t do that. Human free will is a mystery, but it is also supremely valuable, because if there were no free will, there would be no sin, and Jesus would not have needed to die to take away the penalty. I find myself understanding martyrs better, because, since I am assured of my own eternal life in Christ, my physical life means less and less to me, if by giving it I could bring others into God’s family. That’s not at all to say that I don’t take the best care I can of my physical being, so that it may serve me long and well, but it is to say that physical life pales to insignificance compared to eternal life in Christ, and having that, I want everyone to have it! “No student is above his teacher,” (Luke 6:40) and Christ, my Teacher, laid down His life. I should seek the salvation of those around me with the same total dedication.

Father, You know my weakness, how I feel this way and yet I put convenience or pride ahead of sharing the Gospel. Forgive me. Strengthen me. Help me live out all that You have placed in me, not just mouthing platitudes but demonstrating Your love and grace in practical terms, so that people may be led out of the dark traps of the enemy into Your highway of light and life, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!