Colossians 1:17

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

-Colossians 1:17

He existed before anything else,
    and he holds all creation together.

-Colossians 1:17 (NLT)

And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]

-Colossians 1:17 (AMP)

How is it that "in him all things hold together"?  What does that even mean?  We see the term "all things" again, but now it's being applied to whatever "hold together" means.  Obviously, Jesus is still the primary actor in this, since it begins with "in him".  Jesus created "all things", existed before "all things" and now it says that he holds "all things" together.  Perhaps it means that he keeps things in order and motion, like keeping the earth spinning and the sun shining.  That certainly isn't impossible and I wouldn't put it past him since he did created it all.  If that's the case (or something like it), I guess it somewhat points to his current action in the state of all things.  Not only does he create all things, but he steps into the current existence of all things instead of stepping aside and leaving it alone.  The Amplified version would point in that direction in any case since it adds "[His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]".  It comforts me to know that Jesus isn't just taking a back seat in his creation.  Perhaps it also implies that if Jesus were to stop holding together all things, it would all collapse or explode.  In any case, I will put my trust in him.