Day 1: The Almighty

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-19, NIV)

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I thought it would be fitting to start off this forty days of post with the Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I read through Colossians this morning and was intrigued by Paul's introduction to this letter. He started off with the most important thing first, he recognized the Almighty.

Forty days is a significant chunk of time. I'm going to start it off by honoring our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the supreme creator and only by his allowance can forty days, forty minutes, or even forty milliseconds of anything be done. He holds all things together as Colossians so rightly points out. All the laws of physics, all matter, every possibility, every dimension, and every moment of time that is, was, and will be are all beneath His outstretched hand.

Pretty humbling, right? But, also encouraging. God doesn't need us. He has more power than any human mind can possibly understand given any number of lifetimes. Yet, He still chooses to make us the instruments of His plan. He set aside all this power to take on human form, sacrifice His life, and redeem us of our mistakes for eternity.

For me, this means so many things, but the key point I want to drive home now is this: purpose. It seems we've swamped ourselves with ways to look for our purpose in life with activities, personality tests, multitudes of education and career options and the like. But what could be greater than merely living day per day in the role that Our Creator has laid before us? That doesn't mean it is always clear, well-defined, or easy. But when considering the limited time we have here, I believe there is no higher calling.

Taking forty days is a great starting point for realigning ourselves with the greatest purpose we can possibly have. For you, it could mean any number of things. Forty days in reading the Bible, forty days to make sure to have a quiet time to be with the Lord, forty days without a favorite food, forty days away from that one hobby that keeps you occupied all the time... I want to challenge you to find your own forty days and I will challenge you again when my forty days are up. I'm taking this particular forty days to challenges myself to do something God has given me a heart for, to write. And I want to honor Him with these forty days of writing devoted to Him.

It isn't easy and there are many traps. God has called us to put aside glory for ourselves. When we fast, we are not to call attention to ourselves

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18, NIV)

This is one of my struggles and I want to share this with you before we dig in to the rest of these forty days. It is and will be a temptation for me to write this so that I can say, "Aha! Look what I have done!" Yet, I want to do this for His glory and not for my own. It may take knocking me down a peg, keeping me humble - I ask for your prayer and help in this. But, I also hope that if you're reading this, you too will find God in a new and exciting way whether it be in forty days or forty years and beyond.

See you tomorrow.

(P.S. Happy Mother's Day! I love you Mom!)