Day Two - Fixing Our Minds on Christ

Thanks for joining us as we continue to fix our minds on Christ through daily devotions through the book of Colossians. This is Day 2 and we'll cover Chapter 1, verses 3 through 8.

We always thank God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the message of truth, the gospel that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and recognized God’s grace in the truth. You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow slave. He is a faithful servant of the Messiah on your behalf, and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.   

Colossians 1:3-8 (HCSB)

There are some great, practical takeaways in this section of Scripture. First, Paul emphasizes three words that are familiar to us: Faith, hope, and love. Faith in Jesus Christ, hope that’s reserved for us in heaven and love that we have for the saints. And it’s not just the love we have, but love that we receive from the Spirit.

Now love is a difficult thing. Sometimes people are hard to love, but when we rely on the love that bubbles up from the Holy Spirit that lives within us, we will be better able and equipped to love others.

I hope you to take some encouragement knowing that this verse tells us that the gospel is bearing fruit and growing all over the world. Sometimes we look at the world and see darkness. We start to lose our hope and lose our focus, but this verse is a reminder. God’s Word is alive and active and it pertains to today. It reminds us that the gospel is growing and spreading all over the world. We can take hope in that – the hope that’s reserved for us in heaven.

Challenge #1

We see Paul's heartfelt gratitude as he launches into his prayer over the Colossians. He says, “We always thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for you.”  So here are your challenges for today:  

When you feel thankful, don’t keep it to yourself. Express your gratitude. Tell somebody. Write it down in a prayer journal or gratitude journal. Share it on Facebook or whatever you need to do to express it. Do more than just feel it. Experience it. Enjoy it. 

Challenge #2

Also, stand firm in your faith and your hope and your love. If you find that you’re lacking in any of these areas – and believe me I find I am often lacking in these areas – ask the Lord to fill you to capacity with what He has for you.  Our faith, our hope, our love come from the Spirit that lives within us. God alone can help us best express them.

Remember to pray for your church families, pray for your physical families and remember to give gratitude where gratitude is due. Show you thanks to others.

Be blessed today. Thanks for stopping by and joining us.

To watch the video devotion, click here.

Cathy McIntosh is the author of Victorious: Finding Triumph When Hope Seems Lost. When you can’t see God’s activity in your situation, you might begin to feel hopeless. You’re tempted to doubt His care and involvement in your life because He feels so . . . absent. Victory feels elusive as if God intends it for everyone but you.

But God is never absent. He is as involved in your life today as He was when He protected Queen Esther and the entire Jewish nation from annihilation, and He will bring victory.  Click here to purchase.