Colossians 1:16-17
16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
I remember as a teenager laying awake at night, pondering existence. What is this all for? Why is there anything at all? What’s the point if we are going to exist for decades or even a century and then cease to exist? What will ceasing to exist be like? Is this all a sham? Have we been duped? Or is there some reason for our existence?
My evening routine in high school was the same every night. I’d watch a movie or a portion of a movie before bed (things like the Rush Hour trilogy, the Back to the Future trilogy, the Friday trilogy, National Treasure, the Rocky movies, and many others). And then I’d ponder existence.
I’d find myself fascinated with story and then I’d wonder if I was living inside of a story that had meaning. I’d find myself wondering, not that I would have put it this way at the time, what was this all building toward? What was the inciting incident of existence that propelled us all to exist? What is the climax that this is all building toward? What is going to be the ending payoff and resolution?
Have you ever wondered these things?
In Jesus, through the explanation of the Apostle Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, we begin to see who is behind the story of existence. He created all things and all things came about through Him and for Him. You and I, our kids, our friends, our grandkids, our neighbors, our co-workers, strangers, we are all for Him.
He created all things and He sustains all things. This is important because what we’re seeing is that there is not some force that holds together and sustains the Universe. It is not merely the laws of nature that are sustaining the existence of all things here on earth and out there in space. No, there is a person whose embrace holds it all together.
And His name? Jesus.
So what if this all had meaning? How might that change how we live today? What if our interactions today had meaning beyond themselves? What if we lived like people created for Jesus?
Onward, saints.
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