Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Here is the opening to Paul's letter to the Colossians—to the Christians in Colossae, the local church gathered in Colossae. In this opening, in this greeting, he says two things to them. He says that he prays for them and he thanks God for them.
A Personal Question
Who is the local church that you pray for? Who is the local church that you thank God for? Not all Christians everywhere. Not your Christian friends, but who are the Christians in a local church that you are committed to, that you pray for on a regular basis? That you thank God for on a regular basis? Just like this local church in Colossae.
Ask yourself, who could you say this to? Who are the people that you have committed yourself to and are part of your family? Who is your pastor? Or who are your pastors? Who is your church family? Who are those that you love the way God loves us? Who are those that you love the way you love yourself? Who are those people that you know deeply? Who are those people that deeply know you?
Where do you take the Lord's Supper? Where do you see salvation displayed through baptism? Whose preaching do you sit under in person?
Paul's Example
We're answering the question of who it is that you, like Paul, would have to pray for and thank God for. Now, Paul, he was a little unique. He was an apostle. I'm not sure whether or not he had a home church, but every single one of his letters—Colossians, Philippians, Galatians—they're all written to local churches or people or pastors in them.
An Invitation and Application
If you don't have a local church that you're committed to, if you don't have people that you know and who know you deeply, a church family where you're under pastors and you're under the preaching of the Word, where you're regularly taking the Lord's Supper, where you're seeing baptisms—I want to encourage you to start that journey today. Call us if you need help with that.
If you do have a church, the application of this verse is very straightforward. Will you pray for them today? Will you thank God for them today, as Paul did right here in Colossians chapter 1, verse 3?
