And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord,
you must continue to follow him.
Let your roots grow down into him,
and let your lives be built on him.
Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught,
and you will overflow with thankfulness.
…I have cared for you since you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born.
I will be your God throughout your lifetime—
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.
To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?
For this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
I myself will search and find my sheep.
I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock.
I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places
where they were scattered…
I myself will tend my sheep
and give them a place to lie down in peace,
says the Sovereign LORD.
I will search for my lost ones who strayed away,
and I will bring them safely home again…
This message was kept secret for centuries
and generations past,
but now it has been revealed to God’s people.
…And this is the secret:
Christ lives in you.
Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created
and is supreme over all creation,
for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities
in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
…May you be filled with joy,
always thanking the Father.
He has enabled you to share in the inheritance
that belongs to his people,
who live in the light.
For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness
and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,
who purchased our freedom
and forgave our sins.
