40 Days of Praise - Day 4

“Jesus is… the firstborn over all creation”
Colossians 1:15b

When we read "firstborn," the first thing that comes to our mind is the oldest of a number of children, the first one born. But firstborn also has a metaphorical meaning: it speaks of the one who is superior in rank, having influence and authority over all the rest.

Verse 16 tells us that Jesus created all things, so in verse 15 firstborn does NOT mean that Jesus was created; He is The Word who was in the beginning with God. Rather, Jesus is preeminent. He is the one to whose image we are being conformed (Romans 8:29), so as the firstborn He is the example and the pattern. Our Lord and Creator intends for us to be like Him, to share in His glory.

It’s as though we get to play Cinderella. We’ve been mistreated and held in bondage by sin and Satan, but the Prince comes and delivers us from our captivity to dwell with Him forever. Our rags are exchanged for regal garments, our hovel for the glories of the royal palace. In His great love, He makes us like Him!

No longer do we live under the condemnation of “imposter syndrome“. No longer do we hang our heads, feeling inferior to those around us. No longer are we hopeless regarding our pride or our lust or our discontent. Jesus is the pattern that we are being fashioned after. He is the image to which we are being conformed. God is a work in us, to choose and to do God's good pleasure. God has a plan for us – a plan that has a future and a hope. All of that is ours through Jesus, the Firstborn over all creation.

What a wonderful savior! What a wonderful Lord!