Faith, Hope, and Love

Colossians 1:3-8

These 8 verses are just one sentence!  It is quite long, but as some of you know, I tend to get “long-winded” in my writing sometimes too when I am on a roll and have a lot to say that is related (no need to affirm me on that in the comments).  Yet, as we look at what Paul is saying to the Colossian church, it is quite a compliment!  I would be left speechless if someone said this to me.  The church at Colossae was apparently setting the example for Christlikeness and Paul wanted to make sure they knew it.  Not only is it a compliment, it is also an encouragement.  So, as an example of Christlikeness, let’s break this down so we can learn from the example and try to do the same.

Prayer

Paul starts by saying how much “they” have been praying for the church.  Do you have someone who prays regularly for you?  Do you ask for prayer?  This is the key.  When we pray, we align our hearts with God to speak into existence His will.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve heard some prayers that didn’t quite seem to align with God’s will.  However, as we enter into a conversation with God regularly, this is how it is supposed to be.  We seek and learn God’s will and He invites us to participate in His work on earth.  We are His vessels to be used to fulfill His will.  So then, when we have people praying for us, they are (or should be) praying God’s will over and in our lives to fulfill His purpose.  Even if you don’t have people regularly praying for you, are you praying for yourself?  My biggest and most regular prayer for myself is for wisdom and the courage to follow what He gives me.  If you don’t already pray for yourself, maybe that’s a good place to start.  The rest will come.

The Gospel

The “good news” as we call it, is the keystone or cornerstone of the Christian faith.  Without responding to the fact that man was separated from God because of sin, but Jesus’ sacrifice reconnected us with Him, and now we can live in communion with the Creator, there isn’t much hope for us.  This is what makes all things possible in the Christian life.  In fact, we can’t be a Christian (i.e. like Christ) without it!  People have tried and come very close, but without a relationship with the One True God, nothing else matters.  

Fruit

This is a very common theme in the New Testament and unfortunately sometimes gets watered down or misconstrued as to what it looks like or even why it matters.  In James chapter 2 he lays it out plainly:

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe, and shudder! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working together with his works, and by the works the faith was perfected. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Love

True love comes from God.  God is love.  If we recognize that we don’t have love for one another, it is essential that we ask God to help us to love better.  Paul highlights this by saying love in the Spirit.  Humanistic love is selfish; Godly love is selfless.  We see this principle in 1 John 2:3-11 and also in 1 John 4:7-11.  Jesus said in John 13:35 that we will prove that we are His disciples by how we love one another.

To sum it all up, we can look to Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians in chapter 13:

And now these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Paul wrote to the Colossians to encourage them to keep doing the work they are doing.  Responding to the gospel in love, living out the hope they have in Christ.  Read back through Colossians 1:3-8 and ask yourself: can the same thing be said about you?  Where are you falling short?  How can you change your prayer life to ask God for what you need in order to live this way?  Who can you ask to pray for you?  Where has your hope faltered?  How can you love others better?