Chronological Bible Reading for December 15

II Timothy 2:15 Study earnestly to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
Chronological Bible Reading for December 15
Colossians 1-4; Philemon

Colossians 1:2 – Paul always started his letters with this type of greeting. Grace comes first, and then peace, and both come from God.
Colossians 1:10–12 – It should be all of us that fall into this description but we all do not. As for the last part I think I’ve made my point before but if you are still studying at this juncture you have already seen that the scripture has all that we need to know about God’s love, power, presence, and faithfulness.
Colossians 1:15 – In the beginning man was created in the image of God, possibly like a painting is the image of a person or place. Man’s sin corrupted that image and broke the fellowship man had with God. Jesus is the image of God, possibly like we see and hear the image of others on live stream videos. It is that image, Jesus, that we are to be conformed, because of His payment of death for the corruption that we have inherited. His resurrection shows us also that our fellowship with God can be renewed. That resurrection shows us that His sacrifice of death, that He did not deserve, was accepted by the Father and He was returned to life showing us that the Father will forgive us and give us new life in eternity
Colossians 1:16 – Paul agrees with John’s gospel in chapter 1 verses 1-5.
Colossians 1:22 – If your debt has been paid then there is no valid reason to take you to court to force payment that has already been made. God also gave us the receipt of payment as the Holy Spirit so that we may be able to prove the payment of death that we accepted and was made for us by Jesus Christ by way of the cross.
Colossians 1:23 – There are some that come to believe that Jesus died for our sinfulness, and have come into the church but have not incorporated that belief into their life. This is most sad because it is like the seeds that sprout in the rocky soil or the weeds.
Colossians 1:26 – The mystery of faith, suffering, salvation of the nations, resurrection, and Christ’s triumphal return.
Colossians 1:28 – Paul was studying to gain wisdom as God supplied him. Paul did not ignore the scriptures (Old Testament) but began to understand them as God meant for them to be understood.
Colossians 2:1 – Paul’s prayer here reminds me of the Great Priestly Prayer of Jesus made in the Garden of Gethsemane recorded in John Chapter 17. In Revelation, Laodica was the church that was lukewarm and was to be spewed out.
Colossians 2:6 – This so expresses the need for decipleship. Also the response of action to what they received. If someone gave me a tool or appliance that I needed and I just set it aside and didn’t us it it would be useless to me in my life. Sort of like the seed that fell on the path.
Colossians 2:11 – The circumcision of Christ is a cutting away of the belief in works to salvation, because the only payment for sin is death, and the taking on of a identification of salvation by faith given by the grace of God. For He has made the bloody payment through His Son Jesus.
Colossians 2:14 – Jesus has called us to write paid in full on the certificate of death against us just as the servant has called the debtors of his master to write half of what they owed. In this case it is the Master that is calling us to accept His payment on behalf of us.
Colossians 2:18 – When Jesus taught His disciples to pray He began by showing us that our prayers are addressed to God alone and our authority is from His Son Jesus. Jesus has the position of mediator between God and man but it is to Jehovah we ask and to Jehovah we give the Glory of His care for us. Also as in a courtroom we petition the judge for mercy, not to the bailiff, or the stenographer however it is our advocate that does the petition on our behalf.
Colossians 3:2 – The heart of man is stubborn and strays from God’s word. Even while reading this verse my mind went on a tangent and I kept reading not knowing what I was reading and thinking about something else.
Colossians 3:22 – Obeying laws, rulers and overseers is for the flesh but obeying God is for the spirit. Those of the flesh that try to rule over your spirit are not to be followed in relation to your spirit but God is to be obeyed in your spiritual life.
Colossians 4:5 – How can I walk wisely with others if I haven’s studied how to walk with God? The whole of the Bible is about our relationship with God and others. Remember Jesus said that to love God is the greatest commandment and to love others is next because God loves them also.

Philemon – As Paul pleaded for Philemon’s compassion toward Onesimus, the escaped slave, because of Onesimus’s conversion to the brotherhood of Christ, we also should see other people that may have wronged us as future brothers in Christ and lay upon them the love of Christ. God is the judge of our final disposition but we should be able to see that an apple tree is an apple tree by its fruit.