Faithful Saint
Good morning; I love the greeting in the letter the apostle Paul used to the Colosse believers. “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Colossians 1:2). As Paul addressed the saints (the redeemed) whom he had received the report of being faithful, he prayed for God’s grace and peace to dwell with them. “Faithful” carries the meaning of “”steadfast in affection or allegiance,” to be “full of faith” it also carries the meaning “to be true to the original”. If someone wrote about us this morning as a saint of God, those whom He has redeemed from the penalty of sin, those whom He has rewarded with an eternal home in the presence of God. Would we be addressed as the “faithful saints” to the original? As Christians, “we are to be genuine reproductions of Christ.” Paul was commending the believers for staying faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel they had received. “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James1:8). Father, I pray this morning that we as the saints of God be found faithful, that our affection and allegiance is to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be Blessed in Jesus’ Name!
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The Power Within You
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Love for the Brethren
Good morning; praying that as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, you joined with your local body of believers and returned thanks to the Lord on this past Lord’s Day?! Paul commends the congregation of Colossae for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints” (Colossians 1:4). The strength of any congregation is based upon the strength of their faith in Jesus. As individual believers and congregations, we are only as strong as the faith we place in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. Many folks are weak in their faith because of the lack of confidence in the Holy Word of Jesus Christ. My friend, if you want your faith increased, deepen your relationship with Christ. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, the faith we have in Christ will increase. As our faith is strengthened, our love relationship with brothers and sisters in Christ will also be demonstrated through our actions. Paul was taking great joy in knowing this young body of believers walked in a manner that demonstrated their faith in Christ as well as their love for the brethren. “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel” (v.5). Noticed in the order of these words, faith, love, and hope. Faith has to do with the content of our Salvation, the Faith we place in Jesus. Love has to do with the Character of our Salvation, as we love the fellow saints of God. Hope is the consummation of our Salvation, as our hope is placed in the future that Christ has prepared for us in glory. As we place our faith in Jesus, as we grow in His love for the saints, the reality of our Hope that is “laid up for you in heaven” is so real to us through “the Word of the truth of the gospel.” Father, we thank you for the truth of the gospel where we found our Salvation, and the gospel truth continues to reveal to us the hope of our Salvation. Be Blessed in Jesus’ Name!
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