Colossians 2:11-23: Jesus is Superior to Legalism

Circumcision was the rite designed to show deference to God;

A people whose lives would demonstrate that obedience is not odd.

But as so happens in this world, they failed to see the best part.

God didn’t want their outward devotion; He wanted their whole heart.

Circumcision of the flesh became obedience because it’s required,

But one is not saved by his churchy works or singing in the choir.

God doesn’t need a bodily scar in order to save your soul;

He wants you to place your faith in Christ, live in His control.

Before salvation you were dead in all of your sin and shame.

But Jesus made you alive with Him, conveyed to His domain.

The sinless Son, the Lamb of God, restored your eternal loss;

He took the certificate of your sin and nailed it to the cross.

The armies of hell who thought they had won writhed in agony;

In their scheming to murder the Son, His triumph was unforeseen.

Jesus destroyed the power of sin by rising from the dead

Proving to the spiritual world He is forever the head.

So do not yield to those who judge because you do not submit,

To a hollow substitute for grace so empty and counterfeit.

These vain people love to appear like they live in humility,

But their fascination with spiritual drivel is devoid of reality.

If you desire to grow in grace, mature like a Christian should,

Hold fast to God’s Word, honor truth; stand like Jesus stood.

Remember the church—like our body—is dependent upon each part,

Always working to strengthen the whole, never working apart.

Therefore, if you belong to Christ, it’s time to vacate human wisdom.

Do not be deceived by cultural thought or submit to asceticism.

All these things are attractive to man and seem so spiritually handy,

But they will fail you in the end as they did the good man Ghandi.

The danger here is the lack of discernment among so many believers.

Only scripture internalized can protect from these deceivers.

Eastern mystics contort and bend, perhaps even levitate,
Flee from them and their syncretic blend. Flee, do not hesitate.

Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone embrace

Adopting rules to earn redemption is a substitute for grace.

If Jesus, our Lord, you would see for all the eternal ages,

You will find instructions in the Bible, but not in the Yellow Pages.

                    © Copyright 2016 George M. Cuff, All Rights Reserved

Colossians 2:1-10: Fighting for Your Faith

Even though you have not seen my face, I agonize for you.

I pray daily for your faith, and for your encouragement too.

It want you all to understand a mystery unknown to man,

That Jesus Christ, our glorious Lord, is God’s salvation plan.

In Christ the scriptures are fulfilled, It’s Him they fully proclaim.

In Him the treasures of God’s wisdom are adequately explained.

He is our hope, our sure deliverance, our source of eternal life,

He alone is our kinsman redeemer whose perfection paid the price.

I remind you of this because I know of the devil’s great deception.

His skillful debate and crafty ways too often receive a reception.

Though I am personally far away, I am with you now in spirit;

Do not be deceived by his argument; tell him you will not hear it.

Be on guard, check the scripture; ask for spiritual discernment,

For empty deception leads to the grave of philosophical interment.

You must be rooted and grounded in Christ, alive in His Spirit;

Rejecting the false, abound in His truth, seeking to revere it.

The philosophies of this present world are many more than ten;

Empty traditions that cannot fulfill, deceptive traditions of men.

The only way to be satisfied, to know your place on this sod

Is to know Him who created all, the glorious Son of God.

In Him alone you are complete; in Him you are secure.

Those who follow empty deceit are never, ever sure.

They hope to see heaven’s glorious shore, but still afraid to die.

But we who place our faith in Christ will meet Him in the sky.

© Copyright 2016 George M. Cuff, All Rights Reserved

Colossians 1:21-29: Every Believer’s Testimony

Colossians 1:21-29: Every Believer’s Testimony

There was a time in my life when God and I were not friends.

His perfection and my behavior were an impossible blend.

My inclination to live in sin invaded when Adam fell;

Unless there could be an intervention, I was headed for hell.

But Jesus came that He might die, His death my sacrifice;

God’s perfection now satisfied, instilled in me a new life.

Sins forgiven, living by faith, established in His grace,

I devote myself to preaching this hope to every living face.

To be an ambassador for the Lord comes with its share of pain.

Sometimes I suffer in affliction, sometimes even in chains.  

But to this purpose I am committed: to labor for God’s church;

This message He has given me I proclaim throughout the earth.

This mystery that I write about was hidden through the ages,

Salvation attained solely by grace, unknown by Jewish sages.

Christ’s redemption and indwelling is enough to blow our mind.

Gentiles and Jews living together with our Lord so kind.

Salvation given to all who believe—the message that I preach.

Spiritual growth and Godly wisdom, themes I constantly teach.

Proclaim, admonish, teach and preach: this is what I do.

I do it all for this one reason: To live in heaven with you.

One can find no higher purpose to spend his time on earth,

There is no more important message than that of the new birth.

So I rejoice in whatever it takes to bring this truth to you,

For when you make your peace with God, you will know it too.

© Copyright 2016 George M. Cuff, All Rights Reserved

Colossians 1:9-19: The Greatness of Our Lord

Colossians 1:9-19: The Greatness of Our Lord

  We heard of your love for all the saints and your faith and hope.

The measure of your maturity is one of considerable note.

I pray each day you will be filled with knowledge from God’s heart;

Fueled with wisdom and understanding, seeking to do your part.

It is our goal to please our Lord in all that we say and do,

Fruitful in our gifts and calling today and all the way through;

Increasing in the ways of God, strengthened in His might,

Joyful in our giving of thanks to live in his wonderful light.

We seek to be patient when we suffer remembering the pain

Experienced by our Savior in winning this life we’ve gained.

Through the cross with its agony our Lord and Savior endured,

Our sin condition and all its effects have been efficaciously cured.

Delivered from the power of darkness into a new domain;

No longer captive to our sin, a new freedom we have gained.

Transferred out of sin’s control to the realm of God’s Son so loved

We have experienced Christ’s redemption; seated with Him above.

Christ is the image of our God; first in priority and power,

He is Creator of all that exists, upheld by Him every hour.

Whether angels or evil demons, no matter their honor or shame,

Jesus, our Lord, is their Creator and knows them all by name.

He is the firstborn, of highest import, the ruler of all creation,

Who laid down His life to qualify us to rise to a higher station.

This is our God, the head of the church, the firstborn from the dead,

The founder of the Church of God and serves as it glorious head.

Our Lord Jesus supersedes all the philosophies of man.

He is the key to be freed from the power of sin’s strong hand.

The Bible tells us what to do if we would call heaven our home:

Abandoning all self-righteousness, we place faith In Christ alone.

               © Copyright 2016 George M. Cuff, All Rights Reserved