“爱子是那不能看见之神的像，是首生的，在一切被造的以先。” - 西 1:15
如果信神单单意味着它可以保护你，供应你，使你健康、富有、智慧，那么歌罗西人就不缺神。在他们的本土文化中，几乎任何事物都有一个保护神。
今天我们已经幸运地摆脱了这些迷惑人的想法，是这样吗？并没有! 看看电视广告、网络广告、高速公路上的广告牌和杂志上的宣传，它们会诱惑你去依赖金钱、珍珠般洁白的牙齿、体面的服装、赌博等等来实现梦想。愿天上的神亲自来帮助我们——祂已经帮助了我们!
保罗明确地教导我们说，爱子是那不能看见之神的像。祂是万物的主宰，是万主之主，万王之王。“他在万有之先，万有也靠他而立”。神的一切丰盛都在祂里面。耶稣藉着祂的血在神和人之间成就了和平，祂在十字架上为着神始终眷爱，不离不弃的世人舍了性命。
歌罗西人需要听到，并坚定地相信这教导，好使他们能脱离诱惑他们的一切事物。
对我们来说，听到并牢记这些教导也极有益处。耶稣是我们信仰的房角石，我们要牢记这一点，并要信靠祂，每一天竭力为主而活。
祷告
全地的主，我们把自己交给你。我们承认，我们经常倚赖其他事物，却不愿认罪。祈求你垂听我们现在的忏悔，并赦免我们的罪。阿们。
歌罗西书 1:15-20
3我们感谢神我们主耶稣基督的父，常常为你们祷告，
4因听见你们在基督耶稣里的信心并向众圣徒的爱心——
5是为那给你们存在天上的盼望。这盼望就是你们从前在福音真理的道上所听见的。
6这福音传到你们那里，也传到普天之下，并且结果、增长，如同在你们中间，自从你们听见福音真知道神恩惠的日子一样。
7正如你们从我们所亲爱、一同做仆人的以巴弗所学的。他为我们做了基督忠心的执事，
8也把你们因圣灵所存的爱心告诉了我们。
9因此，我们自从听见的日子，也就为你们不住地祷告祈求，愿你们在一切属灵的智慧悟性上，满心知道神的旨意，
10好叫你们行事为人对得起主，凡事蒙他喜悦，在一切善事上结果子，渐渐地多知道神；
11照他荣耀的权能，得以在各样的力上加力，好叫你们凡事欢欢喜喜地忍耐宽容。
12又感谢父，叫我们能与众圣徒在光明中同得基业。
13他救了我们脱离黑暗的权势，把我们迁到他爱子的国里；
14我们在爱子里得蒙救赎，罪过得以赦免。
The Invisible Becomes Visible
"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." - Colossians 1:15
If a god is something or someone you trust in to guard you, provide for you, and keep you healthy, wealthy, and wise, the Colossian people had no shortage of gods. In their culture, there was a god for almost anything.
Fortunately, today we are free of those misguided ideas, right? Wrong! Look at television commercials, internet ads, highway billboards, and magazine spreads, and they will tempt you to depend on money, pearly white teeth, the right outfit, gambling, and much more. May the God of heaven help us—and he has!
Paul taught clearly that Jesus, the Son of God, is the visible image of the invisible God. He is the author of creation, the Lord of lords and King of kings. "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." All the fullness of God is in him. Jesus made peace between God and humanity through his blood, sacrificed on the cross for the world that God has so loved since the beginning.
The Colossians needed to hear this and to believe it with such commitment that they would flee from everything else that was tempting them.
It is good for us to hear these words too—and to memorize them. Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith, and we need to remember this always, trusting in him and seeking to live for him day by day.
Prayer
Lord of all, we submit ourselves to you. We confess that we often trust other things more than we want to admit. Hear our confession now, and forgive us our sins, we pray. Amen.
