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The following is colosians 1:1-2 NET without numbers for veses and notes.


Thoughts on the 1st paragraph:
It is the normal form for a leter of that era with some extra information:

1. Paul is an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God
2. Timothy is joined with Paul in the greeting
3. The saints are identified as faithful brothers and sisters

God decided to speak to the church (including me!) through Paul as the representative of Jesus. Paul may write alone, but he is not alone. The brothers and sister had been set apart by God and were faithful as a result.

Do I really want God to tell me anything today? Do I really want someone preaching to me? I am a preacher - am I not? Paul would later write to instruct this very Timothy who is mentioned. If Timothy needed more help - who am I to say that I do not need more help too?

It is You, O Lord, who set me apart (made me a saint) - if that same Lord who made me a saint chose Paul to preach to me - than I need to listen - I need to understand these words!

Do I need more grace and peace - yes I do. If this is God's way of giving it to me - than I need to hear it badly.

Lord Open my heart ot this book! Let your Spirit find every crooked thought in my brain and make them all straight! Make me humble before you. you already see right through me - let me be transparent - so that others may see your power in and through me. I submit to you Lord Jesus - NOW - I submit to you. In Jesus Name, A-men!

I am ready now to learn. I will pray a prayer like this - with some confession of specific sins thrown in - every night before I look at the Word, (and let the Word light me up!)

We will start with verse 3 next time. John

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"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Gal 5:6b

Pastor John C. Blackburn

Pastor John-

I love the greeting. It's so short and sweet, but says so much. He speaks with such authority by simply saying "From Paul" (usually it's just "Paul", without the 'from'). He's established his "credentials" in these verses in a very simple and efficient manner.

I'm curious, was this a "standard" written greeting of that period, to simply say "From _____", or to leave the 'from' out alltogether? I see that both Peter and Jude used this format, and wonder if they were copying Paul's style or simply using the standard format of the day?

I enjoyed reading your application of this verse, it's something I need to work harder on. So often as one new to Bible study (only about a year now) I get bogged down in details rather than ways to apply it to my Faith. Perhaps this study will help me with that.

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In Christ,

Scott

(NET without verse numbers or notes)

We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

Your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel that has come to you.

Just as in the entire world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

You learned the gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave – a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf – who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

I asked the Lord to help me approach the text afresh. I did not diagram it or asses it gramatically, but asked the Lord to show me what he wanted. I saw words.

The words faith/faithfulness and love sandwich 3 reference to the Gospel. It would seem that the reception and continuation of the gospel occurs through faith and love.

OK - so what?

It is the faith and love that I display which show the presence and power of the Gospel

OK - so what?

To the degree that I show my world that I trust Jesus completely and am willing to love them totally - I am showing them Christ and Christianity.

OK - so what?
I will pray that God will show me a new way to love my wife, a new way to love my co-workers, a new way to love our church members, a new way to love a lost person.

Oh God - i can be such a robot - putting one foot in front of the other - doing what is expected and not looking for someone to love. Please forgive me for my indifference to others.
I ask you to help me see these acts of love that you have prepared for me tomorrow. I will pray again when I rise and ask You again for these new opportunities to love You and those You have loved. In Jesus Name, A-MEN!

John

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"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Gal 5:6b

Pastor John C. Blackburn

Why should I pray? The Cubs are on, I have chores to do, people to call, and I'm tired. Why must I pray?
I answer that question by looking at Paul's prayer. We (me too!) need to know god's will and it is not automatic. That will seems to allow us to make good choices which have good results. Let us just list words tn the order they appear to try to catch Paul's emphasis. I am going to go backwards to help me see what i might miss.
1. redemption the forgiveness of sins - the opportunity for us to live!
2. delivered and transferred - God has accomplished both our rescue and our victory.
3. The Father qualified us! - ME! How can I not have joy - How can i not give thanks?
4. strenghthened according to His might - His, not ours - Yea!
5. ditto bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge.
6. worthily of the lord and please Him - supreme motivation...
7. knowledge of his will - spiritual understanding of his will - it is possible.
8. have not ceased praying - Now I know why! - All the above!

Now that i have worked my way back to prayer - i am ready to pray.

God, you have planned, executed, and maintained my salvation. You are both the brains and the brawn. It is both your plan and your power. THANK-YOU!
Help me live up to this - help me to show others this hope - help me not to forget the power of the gospel both to save and revive your children. God help me to be worthy of you when I leave this computer and talk to Tina. Help me to be worthy when I go to work tomorrow - Help me remember your worthiness as a motivation to consecration. In Jesus's Name. A-Men.

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"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Gal 5:6b

Pastor John C. Blackburn

Paul is still saying Hello!.

That convicts me - that he is so thoughtful and profound in his greeting! Let us look at the Scripture and meditate upon it.

1. have not ceased praying - this does not mean that Paul prayed 24 hours a day, but that he intentionally and regularly prayed - I forget to pray when I do not plan to pray.
2. you may live worthily - This is such a high standard as to sometimes be discouraging - yet we need to turn that thought around and see the potential that God gives us. We can do better and God will help us do so!
3. and please him as opposed to everyone else - Yet what many fail to comprehend is that we are most faithfull to the ones whom we love - when we are faithful to Christ.
4. bearing fruit , growing , being strengthened - process, process, processs - Christlikeness is not instantaneous - it takes time - Lord help me to be patient.
5. for the display of all patience and steadfastness - We had a joke in my Baptist Student Union days to this effect - Someone is mad at you - they are praying that God will teach you patiemce! I have oft told God - "Enough Lord!" I am much more patient now! Please let me be!" Now as we grow older - we realize that patience is as equally wonderful as the more superficially appealing gifts such as love, joy, and peace. Without patience - you would lose all of them!
6. He delivered us - He did it! it's done. No matter my current fickle feelings or muddled thinking - I am delievered. Praise God.
7. forgiveness of sins - My sins are fogiven. I will not worry or obsess over them. None of them are bigger than the crosswork of Jesus Christ.

Lord, I am praying again. I have not stopped. I'm tired and there is much to do - and that does not even count what I would like to do. Help me to make you look good ini what I do Bless both what I do and that which I could not. Bless me and the peiople that are sharing this with me as we prepare for Sunday. We would pray that some would be saved and some others would remember the joy of Your fellowship. In Jesus' Name, A-Men

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"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Gal 5:6b

Pastor John C. Blackburn

Paul's depth of prayer always convicts me too ..... especially his perseverance in prayer. I always pray ... but I do not always keep praying for the same people or group of people as regularly as I should.

What I see in this passage is that our first duty as Christians (after praise and worship) is to live lives that are worthy of God .... so that it is no use to rush out and get involved in all manner of service if we neglect our own walk, our own growth in Christlikeness.

Because if pleasing God is our focus, then we will bear fruit .... because then we will also be strengthened in the power of the Holy Spirit .... and we will be about to give thanks joyfully.

We have too many joyless Christians because they are trying to live the Christian life in their own strength .... Paul did not do so .... he knew and gloried in his weakness, so that it was Christ's power that was magnified in all he did.

We tend to want the credit for ourselves.

joy!

Dinah

It is sunday - Let us think a Hymn. We may have already sung several, but Paul gives a hymn for us to consider here in Colossians. I do not want to write about how scholars view this as hymnic literature, but rather use it as my Sunday devotional. Here is the text - I will than make a Hymn from it



The Sight is He of unseen Seen, before all things became
for things above and things below by Him did come to be.

By sight or soul perceived, whether seat or scene of power,
whether reign or rule, He is the means and end of all

He is above and through, the Head, the First, and More
He is God and Man, our Hope and Peace

In Him we come to God, through Him God comes to us.
All things were made, and shall be new, by the one who came for us

Please do not take my poor attempt at verse as in any way inspired or infallible. It was just my way to let the Spirit help me meditate upon this text. it is here to help you do the same. Here is my prayer:

Lord, I can never with my mind comprehend the meaning of Jesus. I cannot even grasp these few words. Please let your Spirit move in me that I may be led to grace and gratitude. Thank-you for Jesus. I pray this in His Name, A-men.

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"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Gal 5:6b

Pastor John C. Blackburn

It is Tuesday - Monday was a long story. I have a very busy day ahead, but I am going to ask God to help me through there 3 verses of Colossians - NET Col. 1:21-23 - numbers removed.)

1. enemies in your minds - such is our natural state
2. he has reconciled you - God reconciles us - not the other way around
3. if indeed you remain in the faith - depending upon your tradition - this is either teaching that saved folks continue in the faith or that those who do not continue lose their faith, I prefer the first.
4. preached in all creation - I cannot resist using this phrase to teach - Paul says that the Gospel has been preached in all creation. Is that a literal statment or a figure of speech. A figure of speech of course. In our eageness to defend the authority of the Word we must aleays let the writers of Scripture have the freedom to use figurative expression.

So how shall we start thr day? My mind is the key - If I am thinkng well - I will probably do well. Part of that Good thinking will be to confess my sins and to allow God to cleanse me of their ill affects. Likewise, I make it my aim not to slide by for Christ, but to be faithful - for He has saved Me!

O Lord help me to shake off the dust of sleep and Think for you. Let me not be caught unawares by sin. Thank you for saving me. Please show me how to encourage others today. In Jesus name, A-Men.

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"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Gal 5:6b

Pastor John C. Blackburn

I read these verses in wonder .... at the radical change that has taken place when I became a Christian.

All of us were 'enemies in our minds' ... that is, on our own we could not either want God, obey God or turn to God .... He was our enemy.

But by God's sheer grace, and through the Cross of Christ, God has reconciled us to Himself ... we are no longer enemies .... and now I can come to Him, now I can respond to Him.

Even better is the promise that as part of this reconciliation God will present us "holy, without blemish, and blameless before him" .... that is the promise .... and He will do it.

Of course, we have to co-operate and strive .... "without shifting from the hope of the gospel "

How great is our God.

in Christ

Dinah

"...to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him..."
What a marvellous hope! This is the basis of our assurance of salvation as Christians - Jesus presents us as righteous ... at the cost of His death on the Cross. This wonderful "good news" is what enables us to give praise and thanks in all circumstances - no circumstance, hardship, suffering etc can change what He has already done for us and what He continues to do for us for eternity.

(Thanks for your insights John - our very own verse by verse study - great!)

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Avid Reader

“Lord, in my zeal for love of truth, let me not forget the truth about love.” - Thomas Aquinas
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I'm sorry about the Layoff - even pastors do not always find time to do all they want to do!


Let's pray. Lord it is Saturday morning here. I have not felt well and I am not sure what my evening sermon is going to be. I am sorry that I have not been as faithful in this devotional as I intended, but I pray that your Spirit would help me now. Let these words change me and let my spirit be comforted this morning, In Jesus' Name, A-Men!

He rejoices in his sufferings because it is not about him. I still learn that lesson repeatedly - over and over again - I become unhappy when I make life about ME! It is rather about God working through me so that I may be a good steward in my marriage, church, and state job.

God has made me a servant to do something. Let me be very plain - There are Sundays when I look out at our small group and am tempted to complain - why so few? Why may I not teach more? Then I remember that you often taught 12 and that as a sinner saved by grace - i deserve not one. So I ask forgiveness and continue to serve.

These words: "We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ." are a model and guide to me. Whether I preach to 15 or 1500 - God has given me this repsonsibility. All ministers and indeed all believers have a role in seeing each one mature in Christ. This would be a great life verse for a follower of Jesus.

Finally - Paul notes that he labors and struggles. I am so relieved. We are sometimes presented with an image that Christian Service is easier than falling off a log (I am in my 50's), but no - if it was right for Paul to struggle - it is right for me too.

I could have preached 2 sermons to you on these verses, but I wanted to share my heart with you before God.

Lord, help me struggle today. Let me not slide by people or texts. Bless the labor of my mind that you may make it useful. Thank-you for letting me read, for letting me study, for letting me pray, and for letting me preach. Thank-you in Jesus' Name, A-men.

John

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"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Gal 5:6b

Pastor John C. Blackburn

It has always been a great encouragement for me to read about Paul's struggles .... as you said ... if Paul struggled, then it is o.k. for me to struggle too.

The other thing that it took me longer to come to terms with, is that not all pain and suffering should be run away from ... but if we are willing, then God will use our suffering .... and give such purpose to our pain ... that we will also say with Paul that we actually rejoice in our sufferings.

I am still working on that one

The more I learn about Paul the more I love him ..... I love his Christ-besottedness .... Paul was totally and irrevocably in love with Christ. He always ends up in praise and wonder at what God has done.

And it is a wonder .... that we .... just ordinary, sinful, people should have the glory of 'Christ in you' .... that Almighty God would live in us ... in intimate fellowship.

Blessed be He

Dinah

Colossians has become a great favorite for me. There are so many inspiring passages, ideas, pictures, etc., I hardly know where to start.

But in Col. 1:15 is a profound statement; "He is the image of the invisable God". It does not say, "He is made in the image of the invisable God", as must be said of man at his creation. That He (Jesus) is the image (not made in the image) shows He is God, else how could he be the image of God. In addition, as the image of the INVISIBLE God, we see something of what was involved in His incarnation. Though incarnate, He lost none of the image of God. But He shed the glory and became humble-as a slave! Should I then ever even think about being proud, arrogant, or in any way demanding my own way? As so often I find myself wanting to do. Jack

Dinah, you mentioned 'struggling' quoting Paul in Col.1:29 and Col.2:2. Please note that his struggling was with 'HIS' energy,(Christ's) and not 'in the flesh'. I often hear people (especially christians) talk about 'burnout'. But the spirit does not burnout nor do those who 'struggle' in Christ's energy. To say,"I'm burned out" is indicative of attempting to accomplish a ministry in our own strength. Jack