The Light
Read: Colossians 1:10-14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness. (v. 13) “Well, when you put it that way . . . ” We have all used this common little expression. Maybe you are tempted to skip a program involving your niece at her school some afternoon. “It’s not that big a deal,” […]
Filled with Wisdom
Read: Colossians 1:9-10 . . . that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (v. 9) In the Bible there is knowledge and there is wisdom. Both are important for believers. Knowledge could be thought of as what you learn in school: facts, figures, and dates. […]
The Gospel: Fruitful and Increasing
Read: Colossians 1:3-8 Indeed in the whole world [the gospel] is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you. (v. 6) Yesterday we noted how our Christian lives are rooted in the gospel. Paul continued to reflect on that gospel in today’s reading. First, he noted with wonder how this message was making an […]
The Gospel: The Word of Truth
Read: Colossians 1:3-7 Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel. (v. 5) Paul usually began his letters with a word of thanks for the people to whom he was writing, and Colossians is no exception. But he always had a specific reason to be thankful, and in this […]
August Prayer Guide 2020
TURKEY — Give thanks with us that 11 new believers were baptized in our Turkish Director’s church. He writes, “I sense the desire to be physically and emotionally present with each other growing around me. I am grateful that more people than ever are tuning in to radio, T.V., and live streaming. It seems the longing […]
Dear You
Read: Colossians 1:1-2 To the saints . . . in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (v. 2) Preachers and teachers often remind us of this when we delve into an epistle, but it bears repeating. What we have in Colossians is a letter, a piece of correspondence. But […]
Worthy Is the Lamb
Read: Revelation 7:9-17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. (v. 17) The central figure in God’s story of salvation is a lamb. In Exodus, when God caused death to pass over Israel, the sign of salvation was the blood of a lamb. In Leviticus, when God’s people sinned […]
Under-shepherds
Read: 1 Peter 5:1-10 Shepherd the flock of God that is among you. (v. 2) During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he led a group of disciples he called his “little flock” (Luke 12:32). The disciples did indeed behave like sheep: they wandered into trouble, questioned his leadership and in Gethsemane abandoned him completely. After his resurrection, […]
The Good Shepherd
Read: John 10:11-18 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (v. 11) I used to work for a farmer. I worked long hours—often from sunrise to sunset. The work demanded my time, sweat, and (sometimes) blood. However, at the end of the day I left the work […]