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Tuesday
January 26, 2010
Embodying Hope and Celebrating our Unity in Christ Jesus
Introduction
Colossians 1:1-23: Today we begin Paul's letter to the people in Colossae.
He greets them and gives thanks to God for all the good things he keeps
hearing about the Colossian Christians. He prays that they will honor the
Lord and stay deeply rooted in their faith in Christ. Verses 15-20 are
probably an early Christian hymn that describes who Jesus is and what he
has done.
Today's Scripture: Colossians 1:12With joy give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to have your share
of what God has reserved for his people in the kingdom of light.
How is this Scripture passage speaking to me today? Today's Reading
1From
Paul, who by God's will is an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our
brother Timothy—
2To God's people in Colossae, who are our faithful
friends in union with Christ:
May God our Father give you grace and peace.
3We always give thanks to God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.
4For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and
of your love for all God's people.
5When the true message, the Good News, first came to
you, you heard about the hope it offers. So your faith and love are based
on what you hope for, which is kept safe for you in heaven.
6The gospel keeps bringing blessings and is
spreading throughout the world, just as it has among you ever since the
day you first heard about the grace of God and came to know it as it
really is.
7You learned of God's grace from
Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is Christ's faithful worker on our
behalf.
8He has told us of the love that the Spirit has
given you.
9For this reason we have always prayed for you, ever
since we heard about you. We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his
will, with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives.
10Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants
and will always do what pleases him. Your lives will produce all kinds of
good deeds, and you will grow in your knowledge of God.
11-12May you be made strong with all the strength
which comes from his glorious power, so that you may be able to endure
everything with patience. And with joy give thanks to
the Father, who has made you fit to have your share of what God
has reserved for his people in the kingdom of light.
13He rescued us from the power of darkness and
brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear Son,
14by whom we are set free, that is,
our sins are forgiven.
15Christ is the visible likeness of
the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created
things.
16For through him God created everything in heaven
and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers,
lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him
and for him.
17Christ existed before all things, and in union
with him all things have their proper place.
18He is the head of his body, the
church; he is the source of the body's life. He is the first-born Son, who
was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in
all things.
19For it was by God's own decision that the Son has
in himself the full nature of God.
20Through the Son, then, God decided
to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his
Son's blood
on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on
earth and in heaven.
21At one time you were far away from God and were
his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought.
22But now, by means of the physical death of his
Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and
faultless, into his presence.
23You must, of course, continue faithful on a firm
and sure foundation, and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the
hope you gained when you heard the gospel. It is of this gospel that I,
Paul, became a servant—this gospel which has been preached to everybody
in the world.
Reflect
What does Paul pray for concerning the Colossians? What does it mean to
"live as the Lord wants" (verse 10)? List the key points of the hymn in
1:15-1:20. Choose one point and consider what it means to you.
Pray
Holy and Loving God, make your communities of faith strong, that they may
be able to endure their challenges with faith and patience. Help them to
grow strong in their knowledge of you, that they may more fully experience
the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer Concern
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