Category Archives: Letters

Bible, Gospel, Letters, Scripture, Sharing

PASS IT AROUND

COLOSSIANS 4:16

“When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part, read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.”

I had an image flash through my mind when I read this verse. It was not a spiritual image, more of a memory. I remember sitting at my Grandma Carter’s dining room table with all the family gathered around it. We would have this huge spread of food before us, and after saying grace, we would begin passing it around the table. We made sure everyone got the fried chicken and potato salad. Of course, you have to grab one of Grandma’s “cathead” biscuits and then came all the homegrown vegetables. Yum!

Paul wasn’t fixing Sunday dinner, but he was giving instructions to the church in Colossae to pass on this letter to another church body in Laodicea. They, in turn, would pass the letter they had received (which we don’t have) to them. Today, we would just forward the email or the text, right? You have to remember that back in Paul’s day, letter writing was a laborious process, taking lots of time and resources. That’s why he wanted them to share with each other.

APPLICATION

This seemingly unimportant verse here at the end of Colossians is just as important as any other verse. Why? Because it is part of God’s Word! How do we apply what this verse says? Simple! Pass it around! Share the good news. You have been given the greatest story ever told – Jesus Christ came to die for you, was crucified, buried and rose again to give us eternal life. Woohoo! Pass that on to someone.

There was a song in the 70’s that was popular with the teenagers and young adults entitled “Pass It On.” The lyrics were:

It only takes a spark to get a fire going.
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing.
That’s how it is with God’s love,
Once you’ve experienced it,
You spread His love to everyone;
You want to pass it on.

Won’t you pass it on this week? Share the good news with your neighbor, friend or a stranger. Don’t keep it to yourself. Pass it along. Just like the fried chicken at my Grandma’s table, pass it along. Let everyone have the opportunity to taste of the goodness of God.

Lord, give me opportunities today to pass on the good news of Your Son to someone.

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Bible, Blessing, Faith, Faithfulness, Greetings, Letters, Love, Messages, Scripture

THE FAITHFUL

EPHESIANS 1:1

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are  at Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus:”

How you begin a letter can set the tone for the rest. It may determine whether the reader will actually read the rest of the letter. For instance, if you received a letter from a company to which you had applied for a job, and it started with “We regret to inform you,” you would probably just throw it in the trash. Let’s look at how Paul, the apostle with the most letters in the New Testament, starts Ephesians.

Paul knew how to start. Look at how he addresses the readers. He calls them “saints” and “faithful.” Paul loved these people, many he had personally met during his time there, because of their love for Christ. Paul spent over two years there teaching them how to live in Christ. Now, as he sits in a Roman prison (his first imprisonment), he is thinking about them and writes to further instruct them.

APPLICATION

Are you faithful? Is this a word that would be used to describe you? If I were to have a tombstone, I would want it to read, “Here lies the remains of Carl Willis, a faithful servant of Christ.” What could be more flattering? In Matthew 25:21 we read this regarding the master’s words to his slave to whom he had given the talents while he was gone. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’” Isn’t that what you want to hear from Jesus?

In 1 Corinthians 4:17, Paul says this about Timothy. “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.” Paul didn’t hand out that description lightly. He saw faithfulness in the life of Timothy and told others.

We are faithful to our Lord because He is always faithful. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is there when we are low and when we are high. He is there in our hurts and our joys. God is the Faithful One. I pray your faithfulness will grow. I pray you will strive to please the One who has given you everything. Be faithful.

Father, thank You for giving me a faith that grows and grows.

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