Puzzle of our Personality || Revelation 3:14 || Manna for the Mind #94

Welcome to Day 94 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional! This series is about taking scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses) and building our understanding of their teachings through their context and connecting scripture. I believe that doing this helps us understand how to be the type of human that God created us to be.

Today’s passage is Revelation 3:14, a part of John’s letter to the Laodicean church.

Revelation 3:14

AMP	14 “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Laodicea write: “These are the words of the Amen, the trusted and faithful and true witness, the Beginning and Origin of God’s creation:
NLT	14 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen – the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:
MSG	14 Write to Laodicea, to the Angel of the church. God’s Yes, the Faithful and Accurate witness, the First of God’s creation, says:

Why did BibleGateway choose to stop there? It invites us to investigate the rest of the letter, but what’s the importance of this specific verse? I believe it describes the words of who Jesus is: the trusted, faithful, and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation. We are given reasons why we should believe in anything that Jesus says. He’s seen everything that God has done for the world from the beginning of it all. He’s seen the good and the bad; we should learn from him to understand what we’ve done right and where we can improve.

John reminds us of how God placed Jesus in the world through the creation process in John 1:3.

John 1:3

AMP	3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being.
NLT	3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.
MSG	3 Everything was created through him; nothing – not one thing! – came into being without him.

Everything in this world was created through Jesus; nothing was created without him. This, again, reinforces the strength of his teachings for me because he knows how the things of the world, including us, are supposed to operate. He came to earth to show us how we can live a godly life, using the same resources we have for their intended purposes to honor God and love others.

When God created, he made something from nothing. Because God created us from nothing, we have no basis for pride. It’s a difficult statement to swallow, but there’s truth in that. Yes, I know we were made from human reproductive and scientific processes. Yet, humanity was created from the dust of the earth. God formed man from the dust of the ground. Combined with the breath of life, we read about the first living person. (See Genesis 2:7) We recognize this when we celebrate Ash Wednesday. If you’re unaware of what Ash Wednesday is, let me share some information about it. (This will be from the United Methodist perspective because that is what I’m most familiar with):

• It signifies the beginning of Lent (a time when Christians prepare for Easter through fasting, repentance, moderation, and spiritual discipline).
• It shows two themes: our sinfulness before God and our human mortality, helping us realize that both have been overcome through Jesus’s death and resurrection.
• The ashes are an ancient symbol (representing the dust mentioned in Genesis 2:7)
  • Through scripture, ashes are a part of rituals when people seek forgiveness and mourn their sins.
• As we know it, the practice of placing ashes on heads dates back to at least the 10^th century.
• Information quoted and paraphrased from: https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-when-did-ash-wed-begin-and-why-do-we-celebrate-it

Our existence happened because God said it was time for the world to have us, and we have unique gifts, skills, and talents because God gave them to us to succeed in life. With God, we are valuable and unique. There is not another one of us in the world. Apart from God, we can feel like another cog in the machine. When we try to do life with God’s blessing, input, and guidance, we lose the purpose for which we were created and wander aimlessly through the world. We can find value in who God created us to be, for it’s clear, concise, and from one source. Many things in the world try to tell us our value, and so many voices are doing so that we get overwhelmed and confused. We combine all these voices and end up like a puzzle, missing pieces. God completes the puzzle of our personality.

We have faith that God will do so. Paul reminds us of this in 2 Corinthians 1:20. Verse 19 provides context.

2 Corinthians 1:19-20

AMP	19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but has proved to be “Yes” in Him [true and faithful the divine “Yes” affirming God’s promises]. 20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are [all answered] “Yes.” So through Him we say our “Amen” to the glory of God.
NLT	19 For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does and says. 20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes) ascends to God for his glory.
MSG	19-20 When Silas and Timothy and I proclaimed the Son of God among you, did you pick up on any yes-and-no, on-again, off-again waffling? Wasn’t it a clean, strong Yes? Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident.

Everything that God promises to us has been approved through Jesus, and we say our own approval to the glory of God to honor him. Paul didn’t go to defend himself. The church of Corinth must have felt that Paul wasn’t teaching about God effectively or that Paul claimed that God would do things for them, and they hadn’t experienced them yet. Paul didn’t go to justify his teachings or defend his character. Instead, he reminded them of God’s faithfulness, that his promises would be fulfilled, and that he doesn’t second-guess his decisions. Jesus is a shining example of this. Jesus perfectly embodies God’s faithfulness. Because Jesus was faithful to God, Paul would be faithful to God in his ministry. We are faithful to God in all parts of our lives. We do our jobs in a way that honors him and shows compassion towards our co-workers, bosses, clients, etc. We live our relationships in a way that represents our relationship with God. We serve our church and community in the same way that Jesus served his disciples and his communities. We believe that living a godly lifestyle will lead to the promises of God being fulfilled.

The character of God, through  Christ, is shown in Colossians 1:15-18.

Colossians 1:15-18

AMP	15 He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, [things] visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [that is, by His activity] and for Him. 17 And He himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.] 18 He is also the head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything.
NLT	15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see – such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. 18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is the first in everything.
MSG	15 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. 16For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels – everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. 17 And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. 18 He was surpreme in the beginning and – leading the resurrection parade – he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone.

This was a lot of text, so let’s summarize it:

• Christ became the visible manifestation of the invisible God. Jesus was the firstborn of God and reigns over all creation.
• By/Through Jesus, God created every visible and invisible thing.
• Jesus existed first and kept everything cohesive, controlling it.
• Jesus is the life source and leader of the church. He’s also the firstborn of the dead,

This passage in Colossians is one of the strongest statements about the divine nature of Christ, often referred to as the “Preeminence of God.” Jesus wasn’t only equal to God; he is God. He is the visible image of the invisible of God, an exact representation of who God is. Jesus reflects God and shows God as supreme over everything they created. He has all the priorities and authority of the firstborn prince in a king’s household. Jesus came from heaven and ruled as Lord over everything. He is holy (set apart from the world) and has the authority to judge the world.

Because Christ created and rules all creation, including the spirit world, we must believe that Jesus is God. Without this belief, our Christian faith can become hollowing, misdirected, and meaningless. Why should we follow him if we don’t believe that Jesus is God? If we don’t believe that Jesus is God, then why should we believe he performed all those miracles? We must oppose the belief that Jesus was just a prophet or just a good teacher or another type of relationship that one can have with God. Remember that Jesus existed when the world was created. We were created in his image. He knows how everything needs to operate and came to earth to show us how to live in the way God created us to live.

The false teachers in Corinth believed that because the physical world was evil, God himself couldn’t have created it. How I’ve understood this is that the world became evil when Satan entered it. This happened when he was kicked out of heaven and wandered around the physical world, begging to dominate it. They believed that if Jesus was God, they reasoned that he would only be in charge of the physical world. Paul talks about how all the thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities of both the spiritual and physical worlds were created by and are under the authority of Christ himself. This includes the worldly governments and the spiritual world that the critics were concerned about. 

God not only created the world, but he also sustains it. Everything is held together, protected, and prevented from falling into chaos. Because God, through Christ, sustains all life, none of us are beyond the reach of his love and care. His sustaining power will keep you together, even when your world falls apart. The peace that comes from God isn’t the band-aid for the chaos; it is also you who stays glued together during the chaos. God will make sure to extend his love and care for us regardless of what we did in the past or what we’re doing now.

Jesus arose from death, and his resurrection proves his lordship over the material world. All that trust in Christ will defeat death and rise again to have eternal life. Because of his death on the cross, he was exalted and elevated to the status he deserved. Because Christ reigns spiritually supreme over the universe, we must prioritize him over everything we think and do. How can you put Christ first?

Father God, thank you for being faithful to us even though we’ve continued messing things up repeatedly. Thank you for keeping the promises that you’ve made to us so long ago. Help us to remember your faithfulness and to replicate this faithfulness in everything we say and do. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.