INSTRUCTIVE GREETING

“We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you” (Col. 1:3 NKJV).

The greetings in the letters of the apostle Paul are often filled with many instructive comments. The greeting to Colossians is no different. Thus, we want to note the practice of Paul, the phrase of Paul, and the praying of Paul.

Practice of Paul – “We give thanks to God.” The apostle Paul was in the habit of thanking God. This is a good habit which honors God. It also helps us as spending time giving thanks to God for all that He has done for is one of the best ways to lift our spirits.  Giving thanks to God is an appropriate response for forgiveness (cf. Psalm 103:3) and is one of the reasons why we were saved (cf. 1 Chron. 16:35; Psalm 106:47). Giving thanks is a mark of character. Poor character will be delinquent about giving thanks.

Phrase of Paul – “God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This phrase is full of doctrine. It speaks especially of the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. It says the Lord Jesus did not have an earthly Father, but that God was His Father, which is a testimony of the Deity of Christ. And while some folks openly deny the doctrine of the Deity of the Lord Jesus, some religions are especially set up to oppose the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praying of Paul - “Praying always for you.” The apostle Paul was a praying man, and this verse speaks of the persistency of his praying and the people for his praying. First, persistency. This is in the word “always.” This does not mean praying every minute and every second of the day. It means regular, habitual praying. The apostle Paul was faithful in praying. He prayed regularly. We too, need to pray regularly; we need to have a regular time every day to spend in prayer. Praying regularly will produce the best results. Second, people. The word “you” refers to the saints in Colosse, those for whom the apostle Paul was praying. We need to pray for our fellow-believers. Jam. 5:16, reminds us to “pray for one another.” If believers prayed more for one another instead of criticizing one another, our churches would do a lot more for the Lord and a better testimony to our communities.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God is looking for people to use, and if you can get usable, He will wear you out. The most dangerous prayer you can pray is this: ‘Use me!”

Rick Warren (1954 –)

American Baptist Pastor and Author

Word Study

Fitting

In Col. 3:18 we read, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord” (NKJV).

“Fitting” is the Greek word anḗkō (ἀνήκω= an-ay'-ko). It is made up of two words: “aná” which means up, again, and “heko” which to come. Thus, the word means that which is fitting or right, what is proper or what is one’s duty, with the implication of possible moral judgment involved. Anḗkō is used to describe actions that are due someone and thus which are suitable or proper. In Classical Greek the word means to come up to, to rise to, to go as far as. In the Septuagint, anēkō means to relate, to refer, to belong. In the New Testament, anēkō is used to mean that which is proper. Thus, the phrase “as is fitting in the Lord” does not refer to the extent or limit that a wife should place herself under her husband; rather, it speaks of the manner or basis for that behavior, which is “in the Lord.”

Did You Know…

Solomon compares “the laughter of the fool” to the “crackling of thorns under a pot” (Ecc. 7:6). The laughter of a fool may seem lively or entertaining but ultimately lacks substance and enduring benefit, highlighting the emptiness and transience of the pleasures of folly and frivolity.

Bible Quiz

In the Parable of the Sower, who is represented by the seeds that “fell by the wayside?”

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

What was the curse that God placed on the serpent who deceived Eve? To move on its belly and eat dust forever (Gen. 3:14).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

His resurrection predicted (Psalm 30:3; cf. Acts 2:32)

"O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit” (Psalm 30:3 NJKV).

Here David is describing his answer to prayer for help: God had healed him and delivered him from the death (“grave…pit” refers to Sheol, the realm of the dead). Prophetically, David knew that the Messiah would rise from the grave and have eternal life. Therefore, Peter’s point is that since David, the patriarch and prophet was dead and buried, he could not have been referring to himself in Psalm 16:8-11; hence he was writing about the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection. He viewed the Lord Jesus’ resurrection to eternal life as the consummation of David’s spiritual kingdom in which the Lord Jesus Christ is king forever. He places the emphasis not on David, the composer of the Psalm, but on the Lord Jesus Christ, who has fulfilled its words. And so, in Acts 2:32, the apostle Peter specifically links the hope of the Psalmist with the Lord Jesus’ resurrection. He then solidified his argument for the resurrection with the proof: “We are all witnesses” of this fact.

Did You Know – Christian History

Rabanus Maurus Magnentius was born around 780, in Mainz, Germany. He was a Frankish Benedictine monk, theologian, poet, encyclopedist and military writer who became archbishop of Mainz in East Francia.

Rabanus was born to noble parents in Mainz. He was a scholar and monk in Charlemagne’s empire, trained by the famous Alcuin himself. Rhabanus’ determination to write an encyclopedia was the result of two beliefs: firstly, that Europe’s heathen could be converted through Christendom’s superior knowledge of science and the arts; secondly, that monks should be well-educated so they could understand and interpret the Bible better. In an age when books were scarce and learning low, Rhabanus wrote an encyclopedia, laying a foundation of knowledge for German monks to build on. Yet, Rhabanus didn’t invent the encyclopedia. A Greek named Speusippos compiled the first known encyclopedia about 370 B.C. The first attempt at an impartial digest of all knowledge was by Isidore, Bishop of Seville. Rhabanus imitated Isidore. His work was twenty-two manuscript volumes long. It was called On the Universe (De universo). Beginning with a study of the Trinity, it ended with an examination of garden tools.

Rhabanus was a busy man. The encyclopedia was only one of his projects. He wrote a major work on the training of clergy which covered all kinds of things from church doctrine to mathematics. Nearly every book of the Bible received a commentary from his pen. The scholar also wrote a text on grammar. He oversaw translations into early German. Elected abbot of Fulda, he completed its renovation and saw it emerge not only as the Christian mission center of Germany but as a leading center of learning. When Louis battled his way to supremacy after Charlemagne’s death, Rhabanus fled for his life. Louis later forgave the scholar and made him Bishop of Mainz. There Rhabanus showed genuine concern for the poor, feeding hundreds during the famine of 850. Rabanus also composed a number of hymns, the most famous of which is the Veni Creator Spiritus, known in English as Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest. This is a hymn to the Holy Spirit often sung at Pentecost, ordinations and the papal conclave. When Rhabanus Maurus died on February 4, 856, he left an indelible mark on his world. Not only did his books live on, but so did the scholars he trained and the schools he founded. He was a major figure of what is called the “Carolignian renaissance.”

A Little Humor

After church, a little boy asked his father, “So Jesus died on Friday, rested Saturday, and rose Sunday?” The dad nodded. The boy grinned. “Even saving the world involved a weekend schedule.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“When life gives you more than you can handle, kneel!”