We ask you, Master, be our helper and defender. Rescue those of our number in distress; raise up the fallen; assist the needy; heal the sick; turn back those of your people who stray; feed the hungry; release our captives; revive the weak; encourage those who lose heart. Let all the nations realize that you are the only God, that Jesus Christ is your Child, and that we are your people and the sheep of your pasture.
~ Prayer of Clement of Rome (c.96)
“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
~ Luke 2:11 (NKJV)
God has provided and appointed [a Savior] from all eternity; and he had been long promised and much expected as such in time, even from the beginning of the world; and is a great One, being God as well as man, and so able to work out a great salvation for great sinners, which he has done; and he is as willing to save as he is able, and is a complete Savior, and an only, and an everlasting one: hence his name is called Jesus, because he saves from sin, from Satan, from the law, from the world, from death, and hell, and the wrath to come.
~ John Gill, Exposition of the Whole Bible
He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
~ Colossians 1:18 (NKJV)
The only true, living, and vibrant spiritual life there is has the Lord Jesus Christ as its head. If Jesus is not preeminent in your spiritual life, then something is out of order… Our spirit has to become consumed with and in Christ. Loving, honoring and serving the Lord Jesus is the highest calling and most blessed privilege a person can have… Making Jesus preeminent in our lives isn’t always an easy thing to do. In fact, because of our sinful nature, it can be a real challenge. But if you truly love Christ, you have His Spirit. And with faith, trusting in Him, we can come to experience the preeminence of Christ in our life.
~ apl
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth… All things were created through Him and for Him.
~ Colossians 1:16
The Bible says by Him, that is by Christ, all things were created that are in heaven and on earth. Whether angels or ants, the clouds in the air or the clover in a field, Jesus is over all things for by Him were all things made. Jesus Christ has the authority, the position, the preeminence over Creation and all created things. And ultimately, all things were not only created by Him, but were created for Him. Creation is a reflection of the glory of the Creator. Just as any great piece of art bears the influence and marks of the artist, so Creation itself shows forth the glorious handiwork of its Creator.
~ apl
A Prayer Life 