It is that simple! So I thought that I might include my findings each day. Today was the first day, and we read Colossians 1:1-4, here is what I learned:
Greetings from Paul
1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
2 We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.
May God our Father give you grace and peace.
Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people,
Observations:
The first couple of verses didn't stand out to me as much more than a greeting, of course, reading everyone else's responses opened my eyes to a lot more than my weary brain was comprehending at that hour.
There were a couple of things that came to me as I read vs. 3-4. The first one may be silly... I don't know. In vs 3, I noticed that the way Paul addressed his prayer was "to God the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ". For some reason, that struck me... I have often had confusion over whom to address my prayers, that isn't really something that you learn in Christianity 101, and although I have been in church most of my life, I have always just nervously gone back and forth between "God" and "Jesus" in my prayers. Maybe it was just because Paul knew Jesus so intimately, I don't know, but what I got was prayers go to the Father, because He is the originator of creation, therefore when you ask Him, He delivers. And the other part being "Our Lord Jesus", so obviously, Jesus has Lordship over us, He is our King, and His Word guides our lives. I don't know if any of this makes sense or is pertinent to anyone but me, but that is what I got from that.
Last, in vs 4, I noticed how Paul commended the Colossians on their love. But it wasn't just their love in general, their love for sinners, love for the poor, or love for all- he specifically mentioned in the letter their "love for all of the saints", and in some other translations "love for God's chosen". I read several texts of this to confirm, and it seems that it was the love that they showed to their own brethren (I so went KJV on you just now.) This really got me thinking last night, and began a conversation on it again this morning with my hubby...
So a few weeks back, I was introduced to a verse in Matthew, I think, that all but said we are not ALL God's children. Essentially that those of us in Christ are, and those of us who are not, are of Satan... I'll have to find it again. Anyway, so I was thinking about how Paul said the love for other believers, and I truly believe this was meant to say that we, as Christians should be focusing not ONLY to those outside of church, but to those INSIDE, too. I think that often churches send so much time "saving the lost", that they "lose the saved". Obviously church isn't about pleasing the flesh, but it is also,a place for people who are hurting, Christians can hurt too. So the deep translation I got from that tiny little phrase of a sentence was the importance for us as Christians to encourage, lead, nurture, and LOVE not only the world, but our Christian brothers and sisters.
So, my application is that I am going to make a point today to call or write some people of faith and encourage them.