SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING

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LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES - Colossians

Read Colossians 1

     “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;”   Colossians 1:3-4 NKJV

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     The apostle Paul is writing to the Colossian church expressing his thankfulness for the love they are showing to other believers. This church, Paul declares, “is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth.” (1:6)
     Now he urges them to go on to even greater spiritual growth in the things of Christ: “ 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 all wisdom and spiritual understanding... (1:9)

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     There is nothing more exciting than to watch the enthusiasm of new believers and their desire to grow in love and acts of service. They must also grow in the knowledge of God’s Word so that they will understand His will for their lives.

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     Lord, I pray that my love for you and other Christians will not grow cold. I accept Paul’s prayer as my own; that I would “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” (1:10-11)

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     Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.    Colossians 1:27b-28 NKJV

ETERNAL PLEASURES

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THE PATH OF LIFE

Read Psalm 16

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11 NIV

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In this Psalm David expresses joy and security in the knowledge that God has long range plans for him: The promised Messiah would come through David’s descendants, and would one day be crucified, buried and arise from the dead. The apostle Peter quoted from Psalm 16 on the Day of Pentecost: "David said about Him: my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy one see decay." (Acts 2:26b-27)

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Heavenly Father; I praise You for making "known to me the path of life." Because I received the message of the gospel, I can say like David, "you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance…Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure.(Psalms 16:5-6, 9) Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

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I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." Psalm 16:2 NIV