Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Paul's Love Transcends 2000 Years

Colossians 1:9-14   For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,  being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,  and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.  For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

In Paul's letter to the church at Colossae, he was speaking to mostly converted gentiles who were being blown about in the spiritual winds, as the true teachings of Christ that was their foundation, was under attack by the heretical teachings of others (allegedly the precursors to the Gnostic beliefs) that sought to undermine the truth.

In reading the beginning of Paul's letter to them, I love how he starts by leaving no doubt whatsoever that he's not only praying for all within that church, but praying that they would climb the spiritual ladder and become more Christ-like and less worldly.

The closer we are to God, the harder it is for the enemy to distance us from him.

In his prayers, Paul asks God to fill them with knowledge of His will. He asks that they are able to bear fruit. He asks that they're strengthened so they have patience and endurance. And, he asks all these things because he knows they've been called to share in the inheritance Jesus died for.

While Paul penned this letter from a Roman prison nearly 2,000 years ago, it seems more than obvious these prayers apply to you and me, today, right now. Most of us attend or are members in churches that are made up primarily of gentiles, with a large contingent of new believers and those who are "born again." Most of us are under daily attack from worldly beliefs that seek to undermine our faith in Christ, just like those who lived in Colossae 1950 year ago. All of us need to remain focused that we are to bear fruit while remaining part of the vine. (John 15:4

So, today, I'd like to pray alongside Paul.

Father God,
You are the almighty God and your love for us exceeds any human ability to contain or restrain it. Today, we ask that you fill us all with the knowledge of your will, through the wisdom and understanding the spirit gives, so that we may live a life that is worthy and pleasing to you. Please nurture our hearts so that we may bear fruit in our homes, work places, communities and the world and do so with the strength that comes from patience and endurance as we know, without a doubt, that your Son has made a place for us in your Kingdom.

I ask all these things in Jesus' holy name,
Amen

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