A decade ago, on this day, the 20th of January, 2006, we were blessed with our firstborn son, Reuben Abishai Paul. Sangeetha and I are grateful to God for Reuben – a wonderful gift of a son to us and a loving brother to Ittai. Reuben means “behold, a son” and Abishai means “gift of God the Father” and true to that name, as I reminisce on these past 10 years, I am filled with a deep sense of thankfulness to God our Father for his gift to us – our firstborn. But as I pondered more on how wonderful, our life has been since the addition of Reuben in our lives, I realized that, I should not only be thankful for our firstborn, but with an even greater sense gratefulness and worship, I must be thankful to God the Father, for giving us the gift of his firstborn – his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is The firstborn, meaning not, that he was created for he is the Creator and by and through and for him were all things created (Colossians 1:15-18), but that he is the first – the preeminent one.
Our prayer for Reuben, our firstborn, as he turns ten years old today, is that he will always remember as a firstborn, that The firstborn is not him, but Jesus Christ – God’s firstborn and give unto Jesus, the preeminence and priority that is rightfully due him.
Points to ponder:
Is Jesus Christ preeminent (The Firstborn) in your life?
Colossians 1:12-23 (KJV)
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
