14 December 2015 + Love Dare Day 14

Prayer
      6.  Thanking God

Scripture:

• Colossians 4:2

Observations:

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving."

This seems like such a simple passage.

Continue steadfastly in prayer... - Obviously, keep praying, but what does "Steadfast" mean? - To be resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering. So, we need to be resolute, committed, disciplined, unceasing, indefatigable in prayer. That's the first part.

... being watchful in it with thanksgiving - I'm trying to put this one together. Other translations replace "watchful" with "alert" or "on guard". Some simplify it to not falling asleep while in prayer. I think it could mean something along the lines of being present or aware, not mentally checking out and focusing on other things. The key, then, to this, as Paul writes, is thankfulness.That makes sense to me. If I approach God with a spirit of thankfulness for the time he's given me, for the access of prayer, why would I take it lightly. Why would I take anything of God lightly, then?

Application:

Well, there are two sides of this coin. The first is to be more disciplined in my praying. To pray regularly and reliably. The second is to be more present in my prayer, not allowing myself to be distracted or treating prayer like a time sink, but to relish it for the opportunity it is.

~ ~ ~

The Love Dare

Day 14: Love Takes Delight

This segment is talking about leading your heart to love instead of letting your heart lead you with any present emotion.

"Instead, it’s time to lead your heart to once again delight in your mate.  Enjoy your spouse.  Take her hand and seek her companionship. Desire his conversation.  Remember why you fell in love with her personality.  Accept this person – quirks and all – and welcome him or her back into your heart."

I remember trying to do this early on into my recovery and I remember my wife telling me she loved it and missed it when, the following week, it disappeared because I was too stressed and busy to give it much thought. That's something I need to improve upon. I all too easily bottle my emotions up and never show what I'm feeling, which also means I never let my feelings out in a good, controlled manner. For my wife, then, it makes it difficult for her to feel treasured and it makes it difficult for me to delight in her, because I'm not allowing myself to feel.

20 Mar. 2012 - Colossians 2:4-23

Colossians 2:4-23
"Christ Versus the Colossian Heresy"

Paul, here, is warning the Colossian church to avoid the world's arguments and philosophies. He does this in three steps:

1. Being aware of and not following the world's philosophies and beliefs.
2. Being aware of the salvation through the sacrifice of Christ.
3. Not allowing anyone to judge or discount you because of their false faith./beliefs

In this passage in its entirety, Paul goes into great depth about what Christ went through to bring you this salvation, laying down his own life in sacrifice for us. He goes even further, describing to us as having died with Christ, being washed free of sin, and receiving the righteousness given through the sacrifice of Christ.

17 Mar. 2012 - Colossians 1:1-8

Colossians 1:1-8
"Greetings" & "Thanksgiving"

Paul opens up this letter by giving thanks to God for the church at Colosse. What is the reason, however, that he is thankful?

Paul is thankful that the church has faith in God, shows love for one another, and stores hope in heaven. Paul is giving thanksgiving for faith, hope, and love. (side note: see 1 Cor 13:13) these three have appeared in numerous other accounts: fruit of the spirit, armor of God, the above verse.

Similarly, we need to be thankful for those around us who grow in their walk with Christ.
Plain and Simple

6 Dec. 2010 - Colossians 4:7-18

Colossians 4:7-18

"final greetings"

Paul then sends his regards with Tychicus, whom he then, in a way, sponsors to the church, promoting him in the letter so that they might provide for him during his stay (at least that's how i understand it). Paul also mentions tychicus's traveling companion onesimus, whom paul also chips in a good word for. tychicus & onesimus then are to relay the news of what is going on in paul's life. Paul then also relays greetings from other christians who are either jailed with him or living near him.

Paul's last words in this letter contain a request that this letter be passed on to another church, that paul's message might come to them as well. he also says a last word for archippus, presumably a friend of pauls, whom paul encourages to stay strong in the lord.

Something that can be taken from this is: stay connected. we as christians are meant to be one body, but how can we work together if we don't communicate. earlier a friend asked me to pray for his audition. I wouldn't have known about it if he hadn't told me. communication is important. good communication is even more important. so often the devil likes to clog up communication, causing misconceptions and second-hand stories. for these to vanish, we need strong, clear connections. time to upgrade from that modem to the dsl of communication. 

oh, and part of that communication is prayer and encouragement. just saying.

5 Dec. 2010 - Colossians 4:2-6

Colossians 4:2-6

"further instructions"

Paul's parting shot before his final greetings conssists mainly of two main points: pray and be careful how you act around non-christians.

on prayer, Paul says that we should devote ourselves to it - being watchful and thankful at the same time. being watchful is being aware and receptive to the motions of the holy spirit. God will often highlight needs for others or ourselves that we often miss. being thankful should hopefully be self-explanatory. also, pray for others; particularly those who are working towards the spreading of the gospel. 

on our actions around non-Christians, Paul asks that we be wise in our actions and that we make the most of every situation to spread the gospel. remember, an unwise decision could ruin a reputation and thereby a chance that people will actually listen to and take heed of the message. if you need an example, look at the many successful preachers that committed adultery - it completely ruined their witness and their ministry and, in the long run, actually hurt the gospel because the up-front televangelists, the missionaries, the pastors, the vocal christians are all representing christianity and, by extension, the rest of us. if any one of them makes an unwise choice and sins, then they could create among non-christians a sense  of hypocrisy amongst us, turning them away from our message.

so then, we should pray and make wise decisions bout our actions. funny thing is, they both  go hand-in hand. if we pray about a course of action, God will provide an answer that is more wise than any we could ever come up with.

so, pray now...

(it's a lost art)

4 Dec. 2010 - Colossians 3:18-4:1

Colossians 3:18-4:1

"rules for christian households"

Paul provides some basic rules for, guess what, households. just a quick glance, notice that each is grouped in pairs, because every relationship is made up of more than one person.

first we have rules for relations between a married couple. the wife must submit to the husband (yes, the often-quoted verse by many men, but it is taken out of context, as we will see). the second half of the rule is this: husbands, love your wives and do not mistreat them. both of these work in co-ordination - if a husband follows the second, then the wife should hopefully not be conflicted about following the first. however, this sometimes does not work right; the husbands, in these cases, demand the first  of their wives, but then don't apply the second to their own.

second, we have child-parent relations [yay...]. children, you should obey your parents [and i hear a collective cheer], but you parents, do not provoke your kids. again, these rules work particularly well when both parties follow their rules, but oftentimes many people don't.

the last set of rules is for slaves and owners. now, before you say "it's not relevant!" think of this as a working relationship - boss & staff. slaves/staff are to obey the master/boss and masters/bosses are to be just and fair to their slaves/staff. paul also gives some instructions to slaves on obedience. work just as hard when the boss is not around as when he is and work with all your being - like you're working for God.

now, i realize many people don't exercise these rules and that's usually because the more dominant person in each relationship (husband, parent, boss) isn't following their rule, making it harder for the less dominant person to follow theirs. these rules, however, when put into use, produce some amazing results.

2 Dec. 2010 - Colossians 3:1-17

Colossians 3:1-17

"Rules for holy lving"

The first thing Paul tells us to do is to set our hearts and minds on "things above". that would be choosing to follow God's way in our lives, not the world. At the same time, we must not merely apply this to either our hearts or minds, but to both. a person whose heart is on God, but not his mind may find himself conflicted between what he feels God is telling him and what worldly logic says - yes, this sounds very familiar. Conversely, someone whose mind is on God, but not his heart lacks conviction. his faith is merely an act, a play for the rest of the world. Either way, having our hearts and minds leaning in opposite ways can diminish our effectiveness as Christians.

Paul then tells us to remove all worldly thoughts/manners. why? because these acts - immorality, lust, greed, anger, slander, foul language, etc - God's wrath is building. As christians we should not be striving to do what angers God, right? so then, we should remove from our own lives these very things which anger God. now, that's not easy, but it is a challenge to which we must commit ourselves. and all christians are subject to this idea of shaking off the old ways of sin and turning to the ways of Christ. Paul says here that under God, there is no Jew or Greek, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free. Christ embraces all and all are in Christ. (this passage is one often used to discourage preferential treatment, like favoritism or racism, as preferential treatment implies that someone has less worth than someone else when all are equal in the church)

Paul then calls us, God's people to take on the characteristics of God: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, forgiveness, patience and love. Especially love. it is love for one another that binds us together as a community. you may not realize it, but in a way, you love your neighbor through how you treat him or her, or your teacher through giving respect, or even the person who sits a few rows behind you who throws paper balls at you. yes, you can love him too, and not just by restraining from flooring him, but by forgiving him and bearing with him.

Paul asks that the peace of God be present in our lives. we are called to live as one body and a body does not live at war with itself. we should also be thankful, should read and think, no meditate, about the word of God (not meditate as in that "OM" stuff. just clarifying), teach and correct others and praise God from the depths of our being. Paul asks, in other words, that whatever we do, we do in Christ's name. this means we are to be ambassadors for Christ and one quality of an ambassador is they represent the one who sent them, not only in word, but in their actions. the U.S. ambassador to China acts with the interests of the U.S./the president in mind. likewise, our actions should reflect the interests of Christ - striving for purity in our lives and spreading the gospel.

1 Dec. 2010 - Colossians 2:6-23

Colossians 2:6-

"freedom from human regulations through life with Christ"

paul initiates this chapter with two statements: continue to live in Christ and to live strongly; do not be deceived by worldly thought.

why should we do these things? christ is the fullness of God and, through Christ, we receive the fullness of God. we have cast off our sinful natures and, to use christianese, died to our old selves and have been reborn into new life. ok, so we have no sins... do you not understand the magnitude of this?!? we, in our sin, were condemned to  a second, spiritual death after our corporeal one. then, through Christ, the atonement was paid for all for all time. in addition to this, God added extra insult to the demons - not only did he disarm them by removing the curse of sin and death for those who believe, but he publicly humiliated them with the ease by which they were defeated. God is infinitely more powerful than any demon - after all, they were once angels whom He had created.

The laws of the Jews were set as a way for the Jews to attain a righteousness (no, it's perfectly correct grammar). However, with the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ, a new covenant was formed in which we are no longer bound to the Jewish law for righteousness, but Christ. therefore we can eat anything, are free of the necessity to observe religious festivals/sabbaths and instead, we worship Christ out of gratitude.

Also, Paul warns to avoid the religiously spiritual people who profess that their way is right as they misinterpret the gospel. these people, according to Paul, puff themselves up on false spirituality and their experiences. this person has lost his connection with Christ, the head, who gives real life and strength.

so, if we have died with Christ to the world, as paul phrases it, why do we still behave like we belong to the world? we follow the world's instruction/rules when we are not bound by them. they are only human-made; they will wither and perish over time as their "wisdom" becomes apparent. instead, follow Christ. following Christ, we will put ourselves on a true moral path that is beyond reproach from any human law. how is this possible? who made right? right was created by God through the very essence of His being. God was not arbitrary when he decided what was right and neither was right right before God said it was. he spoke it from the innermost part of his being, his character, which is unchanging.

30 Nov. 2010 - Colossians 1:24-2:5

Colossians 1:24-2:5

"Paul's labor for the church"

Paul begins the passage remarking on how he has suffered for the gospel. he describes his sufferings as the sufferings of Christ left for the church (Wesley's commentary of this passage). Paul then describes himself as a servant of the church as he presents the message of God which was not fully revealed to man until Christ. Paul follows this statement by mentioning that the Gospel is also for Gentiles, or non-Jews. Paul describes his labor as working towards the presentation of everyone as perfect under Christ - that is, striving for the salvation of everyone.

Paul then gives a short exposition about who he is and why he writes the letters and preaches. all of this can be summed up in four statements:

• encouraging the church
• uniting the church
• creating understanding so that the church may further know Christ
• to prevent the church from being misled by seemingly sound arguments

why does Paul care? he is part of the church and the church is his family. while he may not be with each individual church that he writes to, he feels  that he is with them in spirit and he rejoices when the church stands strong against adversity and solid in its faith.

29 Nov. 2010 - Colossians 1:15-23

Colossians 1:15-23

"the supremacy of christ"

Paul begins this passage by describing Christ as God - he is the firstborn over all creation, the image of God, through him all things were created, he is before everything (time and position) and through him is everything held together. Each of these images was used in the old testament to describe God. so, here Paul is using these same descriptions and  his knowledge of the words and life of Christ to show that Christ is God.

on a side note, Paul was not a christian that made general assumptions much, as far as we can tell. He uses his knowledge of the old testament, eyewitness accounts of people who spoke with Christ, especially the disciples, and his own encounter with Christ.

Paul then names Christ the head of the church, which is a term that paul uses frequently in reference to Christ, and the first to be raised from the dead. each of these titles paul uses to demonstrate the superiority of Christ over everything - time, creation, the church, life & even death. why is Christ superior? firstly because he is God (yet at the same time a separate entity from God - kind of like how ice is water but is, at the same time, not water) and secondly because God (referring to the part of the trinity referred to as God the father) allowed his entire being to be in christ  (see, Christ is God and yet not God at the same time. confusing, i know) and making him the means by which mankind can be reconciled to God (the whole).

phew, explaining the trinity is pretty hard... i don't even understand everything about is, but then i don't presume to know everything either... 

Paul then concludes the passage with a general overview of salvation:

• alienated from God by sin
• we can be reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Christ which removed the stain of sin
• stay following the gospel of Christ, do not reject it.

this is the core of the gospel that paul said he preached to the church when he was in Colosse and is the core of how he presents the gospel in his other letters to remind the churches of their conversion.

28 Nov. 2010 - Colossians 1:1-14

Colossians 1:1-14

"thanksgiving and prayer" + intro

Paul begins this letter with a greeting to the church of Colosse. in this intro, he introduces who he is and who he works for. he also then gives a blessing for the Colossian church.

Paul starts the meat of this letter by giving thanks to God for the faith of the church in Christ and the love of the church for each other. He also then gives an exposition of sorts saying where this faith and love has come from - the hope of heaven and the gospel. He then mentions the progression of the gospel through the nations and makes a reference to the man who brought it to Colosse.

Paul then says that he has been praying for this church since hearing about it; praying that the church may be worthy of and pleasing to the Lord while growing in the knowledge of God and being strengthened by Him.

Paul sets a good example here of how we should interact with other believers:

1) rejoice with them 2) be thankful for & with them

3) encourage them

4) pray for them.

nos 1, 3 & 4 i think are fairly self explanatory, but part of no 2 is a little complicated. how do we be thankful with somebody? when we are thankful for something we will often say thanks to whoever provided said something. being thankful with someone, however, is a way of rejoicing with someone; you are thankful to someone for what they did for someone else along with the initial thanker. this type of thanksgiving is what paul is doing in the beginning of this passage - thanking God for what he has done in this church's life.