OUR DAILY BREAD : THE PRESENTATION

[cimi]

December 28
Saturday


THE PRESENTATION

READ:
Colossians 1:21-23
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He has reconciled...
to present you holy, and
blameless, and above
reproach in His sight.
__Collosians 1:21-23
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My wife, Martie, is a great cook. After a long day I often look forward to the smell of spicy aromas that promise a tasty feast. Not only does she know how to prepare a meal, but she is also a master at the presentation. The colors of the food on the plate, beautifully arranged in a harmony of meat, white puffy rice, and vegetables welcome me to pull up my chair and enjoy her handiwork. But the food was not so attractive before she got her hands on it. The meat was raw and squishy, the rice was hard and brittle, and the vegetables needed to be scrubbed and trimmed.

It reminds me of the gracious work Jesus has done for me. I am well aware of my frailty and prospensity to sin. I know that in and of myself I am not presentable to God. Yet when I'm saved, Jesus makes me a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). He takes me just as I am and makes me just as I should be__ "holy, and blameless, and above reproach" (Col 1:22). He presents me to our father as a thing of beauty worthy to be in His presence.

May His transforming work on our behalf stimulate us to live up to the presentation and to be humbly grateful to Christ for His finishing work in our lives! __Joe Stowell

````````````````````````Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me__````````````````````
````````````````````````All His wonderful passion and purity!```````````````````````
``````````````````````O Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine,````````````````````
````````````````````Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. __Orsborn```````````````
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Jesus takes us as we are
and makes us what we should be.

********************************Today's Bible Reading __ Colossians 1:21-23*********************************

21 And you, who once
were alienated and enemies
in your mind by wicked
works, yet now He has
reconciled 22 in the body of
His flesh through death, to
present you holy, and
blameless, and above
reproach in His singht__

23 if indeed you continue in
the faith, grounded and
steadfast, and are not
moved away from the hope
of the gospel which you
heard, which was preached
to every creature under
heaven, of which I, Paul,
became a minister.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In Colossians 1:13-23, Paul proclaimed four marvelous things about
who Jesus is: He is the preeminent God (v.15), the preexistent
Creator and Sustainer of creation (vv.15-17), the supreme Head
of the church (v.18), and the Redeemer and Reconciler (vv.19-20).
Paul went on to explain what God did through the peacemaking
work of Christ to bring about the reconciliation between God
and mankind (vv.21-2). Paul reminded the Colossians that
although they were once enemies of God (v.21), He had initiated
reconciliation so that they could live holy lives (v.22). He exhorted
the Colossians to make Jesus the Lord of their lives because He is
supreme and sufficient.