A Reminder of His Worthiness

“[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 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 1:15-20, ESV)

Just think of all the names that Jesus has. They’re sprinkled all over the Bible: Emmanuel, Light of the World, Messiah, Lamb of God, Bread of Life– Jesus’ names and titles can go on and on.

Now just think: He is completely worthy of every single name.

He is the embodiment of God– the face of our loving Father and daring Rescuer. All creation came from His words and breath, both the creation we see now and the creation we will experience in eternity. He is the inventor of things both familiar and unfathomable. There is nothing– no crater, no tidal wave, no planet, plant, or person– that can take credit for itself. He thought it out from the beginning and took His time in carefully bringing the world to this very point.

And we were all made to call Him worthy. We were all made to worship Him. Whether you have walked with Jesus for decades, or whether you have chosen to live in complete rebellion, you were created to love Him. That fact doesn’t change.

You see, this passage is about the preeminence of Jesus. In other words, it’s about the greatness, excellence, and the supremacy of who He is. The part that takes my breath away is this: Jesus was the first and only vessel in which the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. Think of that: all of God’s power, God’s wisdom, God’s character, and every other facet of Him was not only capable but PLEASED to dwell within Jesus. There has never been, nor will there ever be anyone like Him.

And in all of His perfection, in all of His deep and sovereign excellence, He has chosen to dwell within us. Colossians 1 goes on to say, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” (ESV)

That means that Jesus, in all of His awesomeness, put aside all the mighty things He was doing so that He could reconcile us to Him. He saw us as the priority. He made it so that we could be a part of His story.

The One that God was pleased to dwell in made it so that He could live in you. And the very act of His presence in you gives you the ability to be presented in front of God as holy and blameless.

It’s a simple concept, yet hard to fathom. But no matter where I am in my walk with Jesus, this thought never fails to place me back in reverence and wonder of who He is. Jesus is the long-awaited face of God. He is the hand that created, healed, and held. He was the sacrifice that allowed me to come closer and He will be the only one worthy enough to end darkness once and for all.

Even at my best, I could never be found worthy enough for all of that. My ability is not even a drop in the bucket compared to Him. But He still wanted me. He still chose me. And He still wants to dwell in my heart.

So what else can I do but invite Him in as much as I possibly can?

I don’t know where you are today or what you’re going through, but I hope you can grasp what I’m trying to say. Once you realize who Jesus is and that despite all the places He could want to dwell, He wants to dwell in you. The living God, the one who holds everything together, wants nothing more than to make your heart His home.

If you need confidence today, let that fact be your confidence. If you need comfort today, let that truth be your comfort. Jesus is the only one that God was pleased to dwell in, and today, Jesus is pleased to dwell in you.

Take a moment this morning and really think about that. Let gratitude and praise bubble up in your heart and set the tone for your day. You are loved by a wildly wonderful God and He is worthy of every single one of His names.