August 29 THE PREEMINENT ONE "And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:18, NKJV). The portrait of the preeminent Christ stands out like an imposing monument towering over a city. In the epistles of Paul, the exalted Christ stands with the unrivaled appeal of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. To the Christian, Christ is preeminent in all things in the entire universe. His qualifications for preeminence are rooted in the fact that He is Creator and that all things in creation cohere in Him. The plan of salvation is centered in Him; He is the promise of faith; He existed with the Father before all things; He is the source of all life; and His authority is supreme in all things. His preeminence applies not only in the church, but also it includes sovereignty and priority in all the universe. By virtue of His inherent power and unequaled authority. Jesus holds first rank at all levels of authority in the universe. As Paul puts it, Christ was "declared to be the Son of God with power... by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4, NKJV). Because of Jesus' creative and redemptive power, God has "highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name" (Philippians 2:9, NKJV). Christ's amazing triumph over death and the grave qualified Him for the highest place in all the universe. In everything our adorable Lord is preeminent. "Jesus Christ was [is] the light of the world; For 'by Him were all things created... by Him all things consist... that in all things He might have the preeminence.' "--Signs of the Times, May 1, 1893. My Prayer Today: Lord, because You are preeminent as Creator and Redeemer, I submit my all to You today. Amen.