“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.”
– Colossians 1:16
What an amazing picture of Jesus in Colossians 1:16. All things created. And then we’ve got this description, Heaven and Earth, that pretty much covers it. Visible and invisible, that pretty much covers it. Whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities, there is nothing that doesn’t fall into this realm of all things. All things were created by Him, through Him, and for Him. Everything that has been created, created by Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus.
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.
What an amazing picture. Jesus, again, is unlike anyone else because he is uncreated. He is unlike us in the sense that He was not created. He didn’t come into existence when he was born in what we celebrate at Christmas. And he was in the beginning with God. He is the uncreated one who has power and authority to speak, and creation comes into being. He’s the agent of creation through whom God made Heaven and Earth. And in this way, we praise Jesus as our creator. And at the same time, we praise Him as our creator, we realize that we are sustained by Him. He’s our sustainer. All things created through Him.
This Verse Reminds Us That We Were Created For Him
In fact, the next verse goes on to talk about how Jesus is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together. Let this soak in. Right now you are breathing, your lungs working, your heart beating because Jesus Himself is giving your heart rhythm, is providing strength, and air to your lungs. Jesus is doing that. He is our creator, our sustainer, and He is our Lord. All things created by Him, through Him, and for Him. It’s all about Him. We are created for Him, for His glory, for His exaltation, not for ourselves.
Everything we have is not ultimately for us, it’s ultimately for Him. When you realize these things about Jesus, it changes the way you live. It changes the way you pray. Let’s pray in light of Colossians 1:16.
Colossians 1:16 Praises Him As Our Creator
Jesus, we praise You right now as our creator. We praise You as our sustainer. We praise You for giving us life, we praise You for sustaining our life. And not just our life, but the lives of all those around us. The world is spinning right now because You are causing it to rotate. The sun is shining right now, the moon is shining right now because You’re causing it to shine. The oceans are stopping where they do at the coast because You’re telling them to stop right there. Everything in creation is responding to Your bidding right now. We praise You as our creator, as our sustainer, and our Lord.
We say to You everything we have is Yours. So we belong to You. You are our creator. You own us. And we are so glad You do. We are so glad because You are a loving creator, and you are a merciful sustainer, and You have made a way for us to be safe from our sins to experience life in You. We lay our lives before You in a fresh way, right now in prayer, and we say use us for You.
Colossians 1:16 Wants Him To Use Our Lives
Use our lives today for You. Use our voices today for You, use our hearts, our minds, our actions today for You. And use our work today for Your glory. Cause our marriages, our lives as single brothers and sisters to bring you glory. Use our parenting for Your glory, use our relationships with our parents for Your glory. Everything, every relationship we have, every thought we possess, every desire we have, everything, every word we say, every action we take, Jesus, may it all be done for You today. We pray in Your name, the name by whom, through whom, and for whom all things exist. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
