Colossians 1:3-8; Psalm 118:1-18 – Thanksgiving
These verses are all about thanksgiving. Paul follows the usual form of letter writing in the Middle East where the greeting was normally followed by a word of thanksgiving to some heathen deity or other. Whilst Paul follows the usual form of letter writing, he demonstrates that what he is saying is more than mere form.
In his continual prayers for the Church Paul made the element of thanksgiving very prominent. He is very specific about the reasons for his rejoicing and thanksgiving to God for the lives of the Colossian Christians. It is significant that Paul does not focus upon their health or wealth but only on the evidences of godly character that could be seen in them. There are three things for which Paul and Timothy give thanks as they pray for the Christians in Colossae.
1. The faith they professed was known far and wide. Paul had probably never met most of the believers but he had heard of their faith.
2. Their faith was a well grounded faith. Paul speaks of the three indispensable characteristics of true Christian character, faith, hope and love. For the Christian, a true appreciation of the hope that he has in Christ will strengthen his faith and will increase his love for those who share ‘like precious faith’.
3. Their faith was a gospel faith. The reason that they were as they were was because of the preaching of the gospel. It was through the gospel alone that they had come to faith. It was because of the gospel alone that they were able to show the character for which Paul gives thanks. He wants to help faithful believers to counter the arguments of those who were seeking to supplement the gospel message with new heretical teaching that would make them ‘wiser’. Paul tells them that the fruit produced in their lives was by the gospel and the gospel alone.
Questions
- Why do you think people had heard about the Colossian faith?
- What can you learn about prayer from this passage?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks for all God has done for you.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.