“We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in Heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the Gospel…”
Does my faith and love spring from the hope stored up for me in heaven...or is it dependent on things here on earth? Do I spontaneously share the truth with those God puts in my path, and then pray for them?
Sharing my faith should be a joyful opportunity, yet sometimes I legalistically share, as though witnessing is a burden I must carry. That was never the design.
We have been blessed to hear the Gospel and it should produce the same joyful response in us, that it did in the Colossians.
If we truly understand the grace of God, it should change who we are ...It should change how we act, and it should spring from us naturally as we tell others about our faith.
This passage not only tells us what to do - but it tells us how to do it…. My attitude should be impacted by the hope stored up for me in Heaven.
That means that the incredible news that Jesus died for me and rose from the dead – paying my debt and freeing me from sin…should CHANGE absolutely everything about me.
Nothing in my life is untouched by that truth. Everything I do, say, and think, is impacted by the amazing grace of God. I should be so full of gratitude for God’s mercy and grace that it splashes out on those I bump into.
How can we blame other people for not accepting our testimony when it is stale, lifeless, and delivered reluctantly? Who would be intrigued by a faith like that?
The joy of the Lord is your strength…live in it. In the midst of the war, focus on the Gospel that God is on the Throne and has purchased your pardon. That is the life changing “good news”… Jesus offers redemption, and freedom…and that is what we should joyfully be sharing.
“One faithful witness is worth a thousand mute professors of religion . . . Our faith grows by expression . . . we must share it…”― Billy Graham
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