Colossians 1:1-14
"Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience..."
(COLOSSIANS 1:11)
We read in Genesis 31-33 of Jacob's journey back to his homeland to be reunited with Esau, his brother. Through years of hard work and difficulty, God changed Jacob from the deceiver he was as a young man to a husband and father with growing responsibilities. Jacob met with God - even wrestled with Him - and was left a different man... still not perfect by any means, but a work in progress, God's man through whom His promises would continue.
Our Father knows us better than we know ourselves. He may step in to slow us down when we rush into a venture with brazen confidence. He may nudge us forward when a task seems overwhelming. In every case He extends loving patience while we learn, guiding us with His wisdom until the work is complete. He led the children of Israel into the land He promised them little by little so they were prepared and equipped for each new development. We can slip our hand into His, receiving strength and direction for the New Year as He opens the way before us in His perfect time.
INSIGHT
OUR TIMES - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE - ARE IN HIS HANDS.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Genesis 25-26
Psalm 13
Matthew 21
Colossians 1:1-14
New International Version (NIV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.[b]
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,[c] who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[d] behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 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,[e] 10 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, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Footnotes:
a. Colossians 1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 4:15.
b. Colossians 1:2 Some manuscripts Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
c. Colossians 1:7 Or slave
d. Colossians 1:7 Some manuscripts your
e. Colossians 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
f. Colossians 1:12 Some manuscripts us
THE SOUND OF A TRUMPET
with Jerry Krueger
What do you think of when you hear a trumpet? It may bring to mind a horse race or a concert. But the Bible often associates trumpets with battles, kingship, or even judgment.
No comments:
Post a Comment