Colossians 1:1-14

Colossians 1:1-14 (NLT)
1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
2 It is written to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace. 3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard that you trust in Christ Jesus and that you love all of God’s people. 5 You do this because you are looking forward to the joys of heaven—as you have been ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. 6 This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere, just as it changed yours that very first day you heard and understood the truth about God’s great kindness to sinners. 7 Epaphras, our much loved co-worker, was the one who brought you the Good News. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us in your place. 8 He is the one who told us about the great love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you. 9 So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better. 11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. 14 God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.
DEVOTION: (Chris Bunch)—-“Beautiful Benefits”
Any time I receive a hand written letter in the mail, I am always excited to open it up. In our technological world, rarely do people ever write anything in their own handwriting, let alone a letter. Colossians is a letter written by Paul and he makes this known in chapter 4 verse 18 as he says, “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.” He wanted it to be clear that the words in this letter were his and no one else’s. He wrote it from a prison cell in Rome, as he did most of his letters. It was written approximately 60 A.D.
He was writing to the church in Colosse, which is in present day Turkey. He had helped to start the church and had developed leaders to carry on the good news of Jesus. However, false teaching had entered the church, and he was writing to encourage the believers in Colosse to combat these errors, specifically Gnosticism (which believed that Christ could not be both human and divine).
After he spends the first 11 verses greeting the believers, he enters into the beautiful benefits of being a faithful follower of Christ. Have you ever wondered what are the benefits of being Christian? How many could you name? Paul lists five in verses 12-14 and they are beautiful.
Check them out:
1.He made us qualified to share in his inheritance (abundant life on earth and eternal life in heaven)
2.He rescued us from Satan’s darkness and made us his children.
3.He brought us into his eternal kingdom.
4.He redeemed us—-brought our freedom from sin and judgment, set us free.
5.He forgave us for all our sins. Here are the benefits Paul shared. What benefits can you add to this list?

PRAYER:
God thank you for all that you give me in my relationship with Christ. Help me to honor you today as I thank you for the beautiful benefits I have Him. In Jesus name. Amen