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Day 143 Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it also did in the world, and brings forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with might, according to His glorious power, for patience, longsuffering, with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. People rarely send letters today. When they do, it’s filled with news about what’s going on in the life of the person who wrote the letter. Rarely is the letter encouraging, filling the person with hope. Paul wrote letters of encouragement and hope. He told them he prayed for them to continue strong in the faith they heard about when they received the gospel and accepted the Word of truth. As he did with the letters to the other churches, he did when he wrote to the church in Colosse. Paul asked several things for them of the Lord: 1. To be filled with the knowledge of His will in wisdom and understanding. 2. To walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him. 3. To be fruitful in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God. 4. To be strengthened with might according to His glorious power. 5. For patience, longsuffering with joy. Paul gave thanks to the Father who qualified him and Timothy in the work. When was the last time you sent an encouraging message to another brother or sister in Christ. Did your text let them know you’re praying for them? What about the last time you got together with other believers, did you encourage them, tell them you’re praying for them? Did you give them hope in the work they do for Jesus Christ? Too often messages, texts, and phone calls are filled with what you do and not encouraging people to be strong in their faith. Next time you send a text, send hope, encouragement, and let them know you’re praying for them. Let them know the joy they give you in the work they do. You will do more for their faith than a text about what you accomplished for God. Stand strong in your faith and in the power of His might, and you will do mighty things for God through Christ Jesus our Lord. Let’s pray: Father, too often life is about me. Help me follow Paul’s example and let people know I’m praying for them. Help me encourage them and give them hope for the work they do for the gospel. Let them know the joy of the Lord in everything they do. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 6 December 2023 by Valerie Routhieaux The image belongs to me.