Seeds for 1/3/2023 - Colossians 1:3-6a

Scripture: “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you.”

Observation: “Faith, hope, and love...” We’ve read that elsewhere, haven’t we? First Corinthians 13, of course. Here, we find one explanation (though not the only explanation) as to how those work together. Faith in Christ and love “for all God’s people” seem to go hand in hand. Love (seeking the good) for others is grounded in and fueled by faith in Christ. Sounds like Paul would agree with John that “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Paul says these “spring from the hope” we have because of the truth of the gospel. Biblical hope is different from wishing or even optimism. Biblical hope is confidence about God’s future promise because of God’s past and present faithfulness. The gospel is about God’s faithfulness in giving us salvation in Christ. When we have hope in the truth of the gospel (the promise of salvation in Christ), it produces a virtuous cycle of deepening faith (trust) in Christ and love (seeking the good) of others.

Application: Who in my life displays such hope, faith, and love as to inspire the kind of thankfulness Paul has for the Colossian church? How is my hope, faith, and love, and what is one way I could cultivate one of those virtues this week?

Prayer: Lord, fill my cup of gospel hope, that I may grow in practical, personal faith in Christ and in love for everyone in His name. Amen.

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“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)

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