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1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:1-14 NRSV)
A blessed and gracious Tuesday to you dear Friend is my prayer for you. May you know how close God really is to you, how He loves and listens to you, and provides that which you need at all times.
The past few days have saddened us and made us aware of how unfair and how short life can be for some; death came quickly in the lives of the little ones lost in the flood waters of the recent rains in the Hill Country. Our hearts ache for those parents who not too long ago dropped off their little ones to have great days in a summer camp only to now have to come to grips with the loss of life. The stories of some who have died have made it all the more painful, including one who was considered a little preacher for her love and knowledge of the psalms and the Bible in general. Many could call on her to pray and recite psalms and she would. Many thought her future would involve ministry. She did provide ministry in the few years of life that she enjoyed. Unfair and hard to explain why she had to die. The list is quite long of others who were special and loving and caring, now gone. What I shared on Sunday I have kept in my heart and mind since I first read the story I shared in worship: The Reverend William Sloan Coffin was the pastor a Riverside Church in New York City when his son Alexander died by drowning after driving his car into the waters in Boston. A well-meaning lady said to Rev.Coffin that she did not understand the will of God. Angrily he replied,"‘I’ll say you don’t, lady!’ I said. > For some reason, nothing so infuriates me as the incapacity of seemingly intelligent people to get it through their heads that God doesn’t go around this world with his fingers on triggers, his fists around knives, his hands on steering wheels. God is dead set against all unnatural deaths.” God is a receiver of souls, not a "gardener who needs another flower for His garden, so He takes a life. Where was God? God was there, and His was the first heart to break."
Paul addresses the comfort and hope we have in Heaven. This passage speaks of the growing hope that comes from those who accept the truth as found in the gospel and they are able to live a life worthy of the peace.
Paul then shares his prayer for the believers: “That you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”. His desire is not only that they know God’s will intellectually, but that they live it out—“so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him”. This kind of life is marked by good works, spiritual growth, endurance, patience, and joyful thanksgiving.
It’s a high calling, but not one we carry alone. Paul reminds us that God “has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son”. Our strength to walk worthy comes not from striving but from the work of Christ, who redeems and forgives us.
In a world that often pulls us in different directions, Paul centers us again in the grace of God. We do not live to earn His love—we live because we have received it. And in receiving it, we grow. We bear fruit. We endure. And we give thanks.
PRAYER: Gracious God, thank You for the hope laid up for us in heaven, for the gift of faith, and for the love You pour into our lives. Fill us with the knowledge of Your will, and help us walk in a way that honors You. May our lives bear fruit, grow in understanding, and be rooted in joyful gratitude for all You have done through Christ. May Your comfort surround those affected by the flooding in the Hill Country; bless the grieving parents and families and bless them with the peace that only You can. This we pray in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Ask God today to fill you with spiritual wisdom, and choose one way to walk “worthy of the Lord” through a small act of love, patience, or gratitude.
I love you and I thank God for you!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.