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Hebrews 1:4, Various

Listen to Jesus, Not Angels!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 26, 2023

Hebrews 1:4 ends with a transition from Jesus being far better than the Prophets to Jesus being far better than the angels. It says that Jesus sat down next to the Father in heaven after having made atonement for our sins and “having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” Names and titles were nearly the same things on the day the author penned this idea. The writers of the United Bible Societies handbook for translators acknowledge this when they comment, “In this type of context greater must be understood in the sense of ‘more important,’ or ‘of higher rank,’ or ‘of greater authority.’” They go on to elaborate: “In a number of languages one must distinguish clearly between a personal name which identifies an individual, and a title indicating rank. In this context, the emphasis is upon the title which was given to Jesus.”[1]

The first part of this Epistle explains that God used to speak through the Prophets but today, He speaks to us through His Son. Jesus’ message to us is superior to the message of the Prophets that foretold Him and His life. Jesus’ message is so important because that’s what Moses and the prophets spoke about, and Jesus is the fulfillment. So Jesus is more important or greater than the Prophets. Many Jews believed that the OT, especially the Law of Moses, was delivered to Moses through angels. So when the writer of Hebrews turns his attention to Jesus’ superiority to the angels, he does so to give even further credence to Jesus and his teachings. This was important because, in the early Church, people were drawn to angel worship at times. Paul warns against that in Colossians 2:18; he writes, “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels.” Then again, we read in Galatians 1:8, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”

What the author of Hebrews is doing in this Epistle is saying pretty much what God said to those at Jesus’ transfiguration as recorded in mark 9:7, “And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is my beloved Son; listen to him.’” I’m arguing that God doesn’t speak to us through prophets anymore! Notice that at the transfiguration, both Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus. When Peter wanted to honor all three by building tents for them, God spoke and singled out Jesus as his beloved son that should be listened to. Anyone claiming the gift of prophecy today is on shaky ground biblically. God doesn’t speak to us through angels today, which would have been a good thing to acknowledge when Joseph Smith met the angel Moroni. Jesus is the message of the whole Bible from beginning to end. True preaching is about Jesus, who he is, what he’s done and what he says. Pay attention to him; listen to him!

[1] Paul Ellingworth and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Letter to the Hebrews, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 13.

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Philemon 1:4-5

New Relationships

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 25, 2023

Most of Paul’s letters include a prayer that he prays for his readers. In this short letter to Philemon, Paul begins his prayer by thanking God for some specific things demonstrated by Philemon. His love and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his love for his fellow saints. Philemon 1:4-5 says, “I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints.” Paul had heard about Philemon from others, but most commentators agree that Paul knew him personally from his time in Colossae. It’s possible that Paul had led Philemon to the Lord himself as well.  That Paul is using the present tense for “hearing” implies that this is the continual testimony about Philemon. It’s not just what Paul had heard in the past, but it’s the ongoing character reference for Philemon. When Paul remembers Philemon in his prayers, what comes to his mind is how Philemon loved God and his fellow believers. This was Paul’s reason for giving thanks. Although there seems to be a little disagreement among the commentators, most think that Paul is thanking God for Philemon’s faith in Jesus and Philemon’s love for the saints.

Melick explains, “The statement has two possible interpretations. First, love and faith could be directed to both the Lord and the saints; however, this requires an awkward understanding of ‘faith.’ How could faith be directed toward the saints?” He quotes from Colossians 1:4, where Paul makes clear what he means. Paul says to the Colossians, “We heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints” Melick concludes, “The faith could be toward the Lord and the love toward all the saints. This must be correct.”[1] When one comes to faith in Jesus, there is a sense of love for others who have done the same thing. Jesus is, of course, the most profound demonstration of God’s love for mankind. Thus, when one recognizes and receives God’s love, the natural reaction is to love what God loves as well as those who have also received God’s love. John, in his first letter to the church, suggests this as a test of our fellowship with God. In 1 John 3:14, he writes, “We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”

Coming to faith in Christ definitely changes the company one keeps as well as the activities one participates in with that company.  I was 32 years old when I became a believer, and at that time, I was a Navy Chief Petty Officer recruiting for the officer programs in Detroit, Michigan. My association with my fellow Navy Chiefs and fellow recruiters consisted of stopping at the bar for a drink on my way home from work, sharing sea stories of our past duty assignments overseas, and talking about all kinds of unsavory activities. When I became a Christian, I was befriended by the believers from a small church. With them, we shared singing together, helping each other whenever needed, getting together to study the bible, talking about edifying and uplifting things, as well as our burdens in life. I grew very close to these fellow believers in a way that would never have happened with my various other connections. I did not “love” my fellow shipmates in the Navy like I “loved” the brothers and sisters in Christ from the church. There was a radical difference. My faith in Christ helped me relate to these fellow believers in a whole new and satisfying way. I don’t want to compare myself to Philemon, but I was “born again” to a new life. I know that I changed for the better in all areas of my life. I like to think I became more like Philemon. I’d like to be thought of the way Black thinks of Philemon. He wrote, “We do not know what Philemon did to express his faith or to show his love for all the saints (v. 5), but from these few details, we picture a warm, openhearted individual who was a great asset to the church at Colossae.”[2]

[1] Melick, Richard R. 1991. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Vol. 32. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[2] Black, Robert, and Ronald McClung. 2004. 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon: A Commentary for Bible Students. Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.

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Titus 1:1-3, Various

In Him Is Life!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 24, 2023

As he begins his letter of Titus, Paul identifies himself as a “servant” of Jesus Christ. As a “servant,” he’s been given a task. The first three verses of this epistle say, “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior.” We see that God, according to Paul, promised “eternal life” before the ages began. The promise has materialized in the person of Jesus Christ, and that’s the message entrusted to Paul and commanded to share with the whole world.

The promise of eternal life was made before the world began. It was always part of God’s plan. It was not plan “B.” God created Adam and Eve to live eternally. Death came only because of sin. God explained this situation from the beginning. You won’t die if you don’t eat from the tree. If you do, that is when death will become part of the human experience. But because of God’s grace and mercy, He promised us resurrection to eternal life after death in this world. Job understood God’s promise well. In Job 19:25-27 we read, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last, he will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh, I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” It’s also clear from the book of Isaiah as well. Isaiah 26:19 says, “But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.” This is seen in other early Jewish literature as well. In The Psalms of Solomon 3:16 we read, “But those who fear the Lord will arise into eternal life, and their life will never cease in the light of the Lord.”

There are two references to time in verse 3. The first has to do with “time past.” The other has to do with the “right time.” The first word is “Chronos.” It refers to ongoing time. The New International Version translates the phrase “before the beginning of time.” The promise of eternal life existed with God before the creation of the world. Paul says the same thing to Timothy in his second letter to him. 2 Timothy 1:9 says that God, “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” The second reference to time uses the word “Kairos.” It refers specifically to a particular moment. The birth of Christ was at just the right time. In Galatians 4:4, Paul says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman.” It was Christ who came to fulfill the promise of eternal life for all who would believe in him.

According to Black and McClung, “Paul makes three similar assurances about our hope of eternal life. First, God promised [it] before the beginning of time. What we now experience in Christ was in the mind of God before the creation of the world. Second, Paul assures his reader that we can rely upon God’s character, for He does not lie. In Greek mythology, the gods often deceived humans, and the Cretans themselves were known as dishonest. Not so with the eternal God. His character is without blemish; He always tells the truth. If God promises our ultimate salvation, and He does, we may be sure that it will be accomplished. Third, Paul affirms that God has finally revealed our hope. At his appointed season, he brought his word to light. Designed in eternity, this great hope was manifested in time.” [1] The manifestation is the person of Jesus Christ. In Him is life, and that life is the light of the world.

[1] Black, Robert, and Ronald McClung. 2004. 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon: A Commentary for Bible Students. Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.

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2 Timothy 1:3

Setting an Example

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 23, 2023

Paul’s greeting to Timothy in his second letter includes the notice that Paul spends much time in prayer for Timothy. It’s usually understood that Paul is in prison in Rome or at least under house arrest, and that should give him plenty of time to devote to prayer. He assures Timothy that much of the time is spent praying for him. His prayer, like most of his other prayers, begins with thanking God. He asserts that the God that he thanks is the same God that his ancestors served. In 2 Timothy 1:3, he explains, “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.”

Paul is connecting with the God of the Old Testament. Timothy’s mother and grandmother were both Jewish believers. They had come to faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Christ’s coming was not a contradiction of the Old Testament, as many of the Jews argued, but to the Christians, it was the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Christ was the Messiah promised from the beginning to the end of the Old Testament. Paul does not see Christianity as being in opposition to Judaism but as the fulfillment of it. This was important because of Timothy’s position in Ephesus, where there was constant opposition against the Christians by both the pagans as well as the Jewish believers. The assertion that Paul has a clear conscience might relate to how he gives thanks in his prayers. He’s in prison for being a Christian, not for any crime he committed. The pagans accused early Christians of being atheists because they would not offer sacrifices to any of the pagan gods. They put Christians in prison for this reason, and it was a mark of shame to them in the pagan community. Paul’s assertion of a clear conscience makes it clear that the accusations from the pagans didn’t bother him at all. The Jewish leaders all around the Mediterranean basin accused Paul and Christians of idol worship because they made Jesus out to be God. Paul’s clear conscience was based on his total conviction that Jesus was God, and he sought to prove it in all his preaching. So, Paul can claim a clear conscience in the face of the accusations from both the pagans and the Jews. He has no need to be ashamed of his imprisonment. As a matter of fact, he “boasts” about the sufferings he endures for Christ’s namesake. He is dealing with Timothy as his son and wants to set the example of how a believer should deal with opposition.

In 1998, “At the bottom of San Juan Hill, Lt. Colonel Teddy Roosevelt prepared to lead the charge against 750 Spanish soldiers ordered to hold the heights. Just weeks before, he had resigned his commission as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to join the cavalry, saying, “I want to explain to my children someday why I did take part in the war, not why I didn’t.” So that July morning, Teddy strapped on his boots and led his Rough Riders regiment up the hill under fierce Spanish gunfire and on to victory. For his courage, he was eventually awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. June 6, 1944. Normandy, France. World War II. Sitting in the troop transport ships, Brigadier General Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. prepared to lead the attack on the most heavily fortified coast in history. Surely, he was thinking of his father. He instilled in those boys a passion for life, a sense of duty, and a willingness to lead. That’s why Teddy Roosevelt Jr. was now preparing to lead the D-Day invasion. At first, his superiors had denied his request to go: ‘You’re 57 years old. No other general is going ashore with the first wave of troops.’ But he insisted, ‘It will steady the men to know I’m with them.’ After his third request, they finally agreed. So that June morning, Teddy Jr. strapped on his boots and led the charge up the beach under fierce German gunfire and on to victory. For his courage, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor … just like his father.”[1]

[1] Proctor, Matt. 2009. 2 Timothy: Finish-Line Faith. 3:16 Bible Commentary Series. Joplin, MO: CP Publishing.

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1 Timothy 1:3-4, Titus 1:10-14

Sticking with the message

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 22, 2023

After Paul greets Timothy, he begins right away by giving some instructions regarding his ministry at Ephesus. Paul was well aware of the tendencies of the Ephesians to get sidetracked from the gospel and to wander into meaningless teaching. It sounds like this is one of Paul’s major concerns, so he addresses it immediately. In 1 Timothy 1:3-4, he says, “As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.”

 There are lots of speculations regarding the nature of the “false doctrine” that certain people were teaching. “There was an accepted standard of apostolic teaching Paul wanted Timothy to follow.”[1] That standard was the proclamation of the Gospel. Paul did not want Timothy to get sidetracked into focusing on “myths” and “endless genealogies.” The reference to myths and genealogies is a reference to Jewish teaching. They insisted on proclaiming the law as the basis of salvation, not faith in the Messiah. Paul addresses this problem more specifically with Titus. In the first Chapter of Titus’ letter (1:10-14), Paul describes the false teachers as being “those of the circumcision party.” Paul tells Titus to “rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth.” Paul is not necessarily using the word “myth” to speak of fairy tales or legends that aren’t true. A myth might be a true story from the past that has inherited a certain unquestioning authority that had application to contemporary listeners. The speculations, or applications, of the story of David, could be an example. The Jews taught about King David as a story that had application to the hearer to strive to become giant slavers in their own lives instead of recognizing David as the failed messianic king who was to pave the way for his ultimate heir who would conquer the real foe in all of our lives. This approach had achieved an unquestioning authority. It has that in many pulpits today as well. One writer points out the difference between the myth and the word. He says, “…the unquestioned validity of mythos can be contrasted with logos, the word whose validity or truth can be argued and demonstrated.”[2] John uses the idea of “logos” rather than “mythos” to tell the truth about Jesus. He did not want Christianity to be seen as another Jewish myth.

The phrase that the English Standard Version uses, “stewardship from God,” might be understood as Collins describes it. He says, “It may, however, be preferable to take the phrase in the sense of God’s management plan, the plan of salvation.”[3] The Old Testament is indeed God’s communication to all mankind, but it has a focus. The focus is that there will be a savior coming to redeem the world and restore our relationship with God. He is the one who conquers the enemy for us. We are more like the Israelite army standing on the hill overlooking the battle of David and Goliath. Someone else fought the battle for us. Someone else gave us the victory. By faith, we get the victor’s spoils, eternal life. We are not our own saviors. Understanding the stories of the Old Testament as moral lessons as to how we are supposed to be our own savior or as simple moralistic behavior messages misses the entire point of God’s plan of redemption. Paul wanted to be sure that the believers in Ephesus did not fall prey to the message of salvation by works. God’s plan, as progressively revealed in the whole Bible, is that Jesus Christ, our savior, won the battle for us, and through faith in Him and Him alone can one receive the gift of eternal life. Stick with that message.

[1] Lea, Thomas D., and Hayne P. Griffin. 1992. 1, 2 Timothy, Titus. Vol. 34. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[2] https://www.britannica.com/topic/myth

[3] Collins, Raymond F. 2012. 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus: A Commentary. Edited by C. Clifton Black, M. Eugene Boring, and John T. Carroll. The New Testament Library. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

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2 Thessalonians 1:4

The Blood of the Saints

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 21, 2023

Paul begins his comments to the Thessalonians in his 2nd letter by giving thanks to God for their growing faith and their love for one another. One commentator says, “That Paul thanks God and not the readers for their faith, love, and endurance shows that they contributed nothing to achieving salvation but were the object of God’s unconditional, gracious action.”[1] God should be credited with their salvation, of course, but Paul goes on to explain how proud he is of them to other churches. He adds how their example has been an encouragement to the other churches that he has informed of their steadfast faith in the face of persecution. 2 Thessalonians 1:4 says, “Therefore, we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.” But the commentator goes on to add, “Consequently, boasting in the readers’ faithfulness is not meant to give them self-confidence apart from God but is merely Paul’s way of thanking God before other congregations. The way Paul uses ‘boasting’ in his other letters (thirty-five times) confirms that the true people of God can boast only in God about their Christian character and never in themselves (see, e.g., 1 Cor 1:29–31).”

The Greek verb for “enduring” is in the present tense and tells us that the hardships are going on at the time of Paul’s writings. It’s difficult to say what exactly those hardships were, but we can surmise that the adversaries that persecuted Paul when he was in Thessalonica haven’t slowed down. They have transferred their hatred from Paul, who got away, being let down in a basket from an upper window, to his followers, who became Christians at his preaching. Paul uses two different terms to identify their hardships. He calls them “Persecutions” and “Trials.” Persecutions  “indicate specifically the sufferings inflicted by others because of their opposition to one’s beliefs. ‘Trials’ can refer more broadly to any kind of suffering but is frequently used in the New Testament to refer specifically to persecution that comes because of one’s faith. The combination probably emphasizes the severity of the readers’ sufferings.”[2]

 Tertullian, about a hundred years after Paul, had the advantage of hindsight on all the persecutions of Christians in the first hundred years or so. The Jews persecuted the Christians because they made Jesus God. The Romans persecuted Christians because they wouldn’t offer sacrifices to the pagan gods. The persecution created many martyrs in the early history of the Church. Acts chapter 7 tells us about the first martyr, Stephen. The history to follow was full of others. Tertullian knew full well that the desired effect the Romans wanted to see from the Christian persecution was that making an example of Christians by executing them would dissuade others from becoming Christian. But it was the exact opposite. Tertullian informed the world that “The blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church.” Instead of stamping out Christianity, their number increased. Seeing others stand firm in the face of trials and persecution gives heart and inspires others. One writer said, “So we can truly say that the blood of those that died for Christ gave birth to even more Christians. For every person, the Romans killed, at least two would be converted. This is why Christianity was able to rise so steadily during the first four centuries A.D.”[3]

 [1] Beale, G. K. 2003. 1–2 Thessalonians. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[2] Weatherly, Jon A. 1996. 1 & 2 Thessalonians. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.

[3] https://media.ascensionpress.com/2018/09/17/blood-of-the-martyrs-is-still-seed-for-the-church/

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1 Thessalonian 1:4-5, Various

The Certainty of Salvation

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 20, 2023

As Deuteronomy teaches us, there was nothing special about the Israelites that influenced God’s choice of them as his special people. Deuteronomy 7:6-8 says, “The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.  It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers.” When Paul addresses the Thessalonians, he wants them to know that God has chosen them also. 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 says, “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.”

You can’t help but notice that Paul is assuring them of their position. He says, “we know.” When John writes his first epistle, he explains that his purpose for writing was that they would “know” that through faith in Jesus Christ, they had eternal life. It seems that the writers of the epistles want their readers to have certainty regarding their salvation. Part of Christendom today, as well as throughout the history of the church, preaches that one cannot know for certain if one is going to heaven.  This enables religious leaders to control their parishioners. Keeping followers in doubt is supposed to serve as the motivation to make people try harder. It usually results in fear and anxiety rather than motivation. This verse argues that because of the Gospel message that was accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit brought eternal security, assurance of God’s love, and His choice of them as His special people. Even the final phrase in the verse, “with full conviction,” speaks of the certainty of salvation.

I’m well aware that many Christians believe that our salvation is one of our self-determination.  It’s especially true in our western culture, where autonomy and individuality are central to our thinking. We have thoroughly bought into the message “if it’s to be, it’s up to me.” That there is no such thing as a free lunch might be true in the world in which we live, But God does not deal with us that way. Paul makes it clear in several epistles that we are not saved by our deeds but by grace. If it’s by our good works, we would never know for certain. Did I give enough to charity? Did I serve in the church enough? Was I kind enough to others? There is always one more thing we could have done. There is always one temptation we could have resisted a little longer. There is no assurance, no security when the basis of our relationship with God is how good we’ve been. There is only doubt, stress, and anxiety. Even the Old Testament teaches us that all our good deeds are worthless and are like filthy rags. Yet, we want to think we bring something to the table, and it’s not out of God’s undeserved love and mercy that we are saved, but out of some quality in us or some sacrifice of service or behavior that earns salvation. Paul rebukes the Corinthians who have fallen into this mindset. He wants them to realize that it’s all of Grace, and they have nothing to give to God that he needs. In 1 Corinthians 4:7, he says, “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” Paul wanted his readers to look to God as the actor in their salvation and not to their own good works. As Weatherly says, Paul is giving all believers “The assurance that they were receiving the full advantage of all of God’s saving activity in history. They are at the climax of what God had done; they are the beneficiaries of the plan of God from before creation. Whatever difficulties they may face in this age, they have the assurance of their standing with God in his eternal plan.”[1]

[1] Weatherly, Jon A. 1996. 1 & 2 Thessalonians. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.

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Colossians 1:3-5, Various

Paul’s Triumvirate

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 19, 2023

In 1 Corinthians 13, the famous Love passage, Paul says there are only three things that abide with eternal significance, and those three things are faith, hope, and love. In Colossians 1, verses 3 thru 5, Paul puts those three crucial ingredients together in his prayers of thanksgiving for the saints. He writes, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.” We see faith, hope, and love linked together often in Paul’s writings.  Paul presents them as the supreme marks by which a church is measured and, by implication, by which a Christian is measured. It’s not one’s spiritual gifts, one’s abilities, one’s personality, or one’s passions that God measures believers by. It’s faith, hope & love. Look at these other verses written by the Apostle Paul. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 says, “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Galatians 5:5–6: “We eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus … the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Ephesians 1:15–18: “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.… I also pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you …”

This verse begins with Paul explaining how he is always “thankful” for the believers in Colossae. Thankfulness is such an important motive for prayer. God often instructs us to be thankful. It’s good for us. James tells us that every good gift comes from the “Father of Lights.” Like any wise father, God wants us to learn to be thankful for all the gifts He has given us. It is in our best interest to be reminded that everything we have is a gift from Him. Without gratitude, we become arrogant and self-centered. We begin to believe that we have achieved everything on our own. Thankfulness keeps our hearts in the right relationship with the Giver of all good gifts. One blogger says, “Giving thanks also reminds us of how much we do have. Human beings are prone to covetousness. We tend to focus on what we don’t have. By giving thanks continually, we are reminded of how much we do have. When we focus on blessings rather than wants, we are happier. When we start thanking God for the things we usually take for granted, our perspective changes. We realize that we could not even exist without the merciful blessings of God.”[1]

Paul clarifies these three things he is thankful for regarding the believers in Colossae. When he talks about faith, it’s “Faith in Jesus Christ.” Some commentators disagree, but it seems to me that it’s not just “faith” in general. Jesus is the object of that faith. He prays for them because they are fellow believers. Paul is thankful that there are brothers and sisters in the city for him to fellowship with. He talks about the love they have for each other and the importance of that while sharing the joys and trials of this life with others. The mention of their concern for other believers might be connected with the love they showed in sacrificial giving for the Jerusalem believers undergoing persecution and real hardship. Their faith in Jesus, who is God’s demonstrated love for them, motivates their love for other believers. They share a common faith, and they also share a common hope. They will one day share in the life which will be theirs forever in heaven. What would the Christian life be like without hope? Jenkins says, “The farmer plants in hope. The worker toils in hope. Parents bring up children in hope. Without hope, the Christian’s life would be bleak indeed. But the Christian’s life is not bleak; it is filled with hope.”[2] Longfellow wrote, “Life is real! Life is earnest!   And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, was not spoken of the soul.”

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/giving-thanks-to-God.html

[2] Jenkins, Ferrell. 1987. “Thanks, I Needed That!: The Hope of Heaven.” Edited by Brent Lewis. Christianity Magazine, 1987.

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