The Grace of Preeminence

"...He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything, He might be preeminent." ~(Col. 1:18)
I had to ask Kade what that word even meant as I was reading.  I still don't know how to spell it.  It's huge and complex, and has way too many e's.  Basically, it means more...more than anything...above all...superior.  In this verse, in this context, this is talking all about Christ. 
Have you ever truly thought about the worthiness of Christ??  Of the holiness, the righteousness, the perfection of our God?  I don't...not like I should.  I mean, I know He's worthy, I know He's perfect, I know He's good...but do I let it grip my life?  Do I let it change everything in me so that He alone is my greatest treasure, my sustenance, my hope, my expectation?
This verse is smack dab in the middle of a whole bunch that all point to this very thing.  Without a doubt, Paul makes his message clear:  our God is the most holy, righteous being in the world.  He is above all, in all, and through all.  Every single thing was created by Him, and for Him.  He is what holds all things together...what keeps all things, what sustains them.  Think of what this means for our lives.  Every single thing, whether we think of it good or bad...is for Him:  marriage, money, family, nature, sickness, laughter...all of it is for Him.  Do I believe that?  Do I hold onto that?  Or do I let myself get caught up in those things, letting them consume my time and attention...rather than allowing them to point me to the One they are for??
And then, verse 18.  It says that HE (Christ), is the Head.  He's the beginning...He's first, eternal, lasting...He always has been, He always will be.  Even more, He was the first to die and be raised to life...the firstborn from the dead.  And why did He die??  Why was He raised back to life again?  Was it just so that He could save us?  Just so that He could be a holy sacrifice, worthy of taking away the sin of the world...not even close.  The answer is right there..."He is the firstborn from the dead, that in everything, He might be preeminent." 
Wow...talk about an upset to our mentality.  Yes...He came so that we could have eternal life with Him.  Yes, He came because we have no other hope than His death on the Cross and His Spirit working in our hearts to know Him.  The verses that follow talk about how He made peace within us when we knew no peace.  But more than that, He came to be more.  He came to be preeminent.  He came and He died so that we would have no doubt He is the most worthy thing in the world...He is above all, holy, righteous, perfect.  He came so that I would realize that, down in my depths, and I would choose Him above all else.  (I'm not saying that His death didn't also provide the sacrifice that we needed to keep us from Hell, I'm just saying that it's not the first reason He came...)
It almost doesn't sound very loving, does it?  There's something inside of us that almost doesn't like the picture of God coming and dying, so that He could be the most important thing in our life...so that He could consume us, so that He could burn within us.  But think about it...He has to be that way...we need it.  If we are going to believe that God is who He says...that His holiness and His glory are like all-consuming fire, that He's more than enough to choose, to rest in as our Rock, to stake our lives upon...then He has to come to be preeminent.  If He comes and does not first protect His glory, His name, He is no longer worthy of trusting in, of hoping in, of making our Treasure.  But the good news, the news worth rejoicing in, of worshiping for...is that He did come...He came to be preeminent...superior...most in our lives...and in doing so, He gave us something worthy of believing in, hoping in, and choosing above all else.
There's so much there...so much I'll never know...never understand...but more than anything else, I want to recognize the fact that my Lord truly is above all, and I want to let that truth change my life...may you do so as well...
in Him...