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Colossians 1:12 (NASB95) — 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
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This book, Colossians, it was actually a letter written to a church in Colosse by the apostle Paul. Now this was before there were churches, so usually if Paul is writing to a church, he's usually the one that started that church. In this case though, the church in Colosse was the work of someone else.
This book, Colossians, it was actually a letter written to a church in Colosse by the apostle Paul. Now this was before there were churches, so usually if Paul is writing to a church, he's usually the one that started that church. In this case though, the church in Colosse was the work of someone else.
When Paul was preaching, probably in Ephesus a man heard him there, was changed by the gospel, and went home to Colosse to plant a church.
This is the church the letter is addressed to and the amazing part is that Paul is writing this letter while is he in prison for proclaiming the gospel. Not prison like you would think of, this is more of what it was like. ------------>
So from a dark, dank prison, Paul writes this verse.
Colossians 1:12 (NASB95) — 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
The verses before this one Paul is telling the church how much he prays for them and how he wishes for them to become closer to God. Then he starts telling them how to become closer to God.
The first step is to give thanks.
Do you feel like your life isn't going the way you thought it would? Do you feel frustrated at what you don't have or what you do have to deal with that others don't?
The verses before this one Paul is telling the church how much he prays for them and how he wishes for them to become closer to God. Then he starts telling them how to become closer to God.
The first step is to give thanks.
Do you feel like your life isn't going the way you thought it would? Do you feel frustrated at what you don't have or what you do have to deal with that others don't?
Let me make a suggestion, start listing off all of the things that the Lord has placed in your life that you are thankful for. Spend five or ten minutes listing all these things.
It will help put things into perspective...we tend to get caught up and overwhelmed by things in our life.
It is good and right to give thanks to God for bringing good things into our life but it's also good and right to give thanks to God for bringing hard things into our life because they both serve to bind us closer to Him.
If you exist in some form or another in 50 trillion years.....that's incredibile and that's where we should aiming for! You being able to spend eternity in the presence of God is what matters. No matter what you're having to walk through right now, I encourage you to bring it to God and thank Him for it.
When hard things come into our life, God either brought it or allowed it to come. This may sound crazy but hear me out. He is God, He could have stopped it right? There's been other times where He's miraculous intervened but He didn't for you this time. So what are we to do with this?
God doesn't just attack you because it gives Him pleasure, rather He wounds you in order to bring you closer to Him and give you life.
Think about someone with brain cancer and a surgeon. In order for the person to have continued life, the surgeon will have to bash open their brain, take a chunk out and then pump the person full of radiation for months.
This wreaks havoc on the body.....but it's not pointless pain, the surgeon doesn't enjoy inflicting it either. It is to give life.
God allows hard things to happen to us because He is more concerned that we have life in Him than having a trivial 40, 60, 90 years here on this Earth. What is our life on Earth compared to 50 trillion years and beyond in the presence of God!
Paul is telling you, "give thanks to God," while he himself is sitting in a prison! This isn't just some trite preacher saying "it'll all be alright,"this is a man that is living it out, in the worst of it, and is still praising God for how good he is.
It is good and right to give thanks to God for bringing good things into our life but it's also good and right to give thanks to God for bringing hard things into our life because they both serve to bind us closer to Him.
If you exist in some form or another in 50 trillion years.....that's incredibile and that's where we should aiming for! You being able to spend eternity in the presence of God is what matters. No matter what you're having to walk through right now, I encourage you to bring it to God and thank Him for it.
When hard things come into our life, God either brought it or allowed it to come. This may sound crazy but hear me out. He is God, He could have stopped it right? There's been other times where He's miraculous intervened but He didn't for you this time. So what are we to do with this?
God doesn't just attack you because it gives Him pleasure, rather He wounds you in order to bring you closer to Him and give you life.
Think about someone with brain cancer and a surgeon. In order for the person to have continued life, the surgeon will have to bash open their brain, take a chunk out and then pump the person full of radiation for months.
This wreaks havoc on the body.....but it's not pointless pain, the surgeon doesn't enjoy inflicting it either. It is to give life.
God allows hard things to happen to us because He is more concerned that we have life in Him than having a trivial 40, 60, 90 years here on this Earth. What is our life on Earth compared to 50 trillion years and beyond in the presence of God!
Paul is telling you, "give thanks to God," while he himself is sitting in a prison! This isn't just some trite preacher saying "it'll all be alright,"this is a man that is living it out, in the worst of it, and is still praising God for how good he is.
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