We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. – Colossians 1:3
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Time has passed quickly, and we have now entered May 2026. Over the next four months, as a Christian community, we seek to focus on learning how to “glow in love for others.” We look to God to work in us, both personally and as a church, so that we may become a community shaped and marked by His love.
Let us consider the church in Colossae. Scripture says, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven… the gospel” (Colossians 1:3–5, ESV).
When Paul wrote this letter from prison in Rome around AD 60–62, the Colossian church had been established for only about five years. Yet the way Paul gives thanks reveals something significant: this was a church where the gospel was not only believed, but lived out.
At the same time, the church was facing the influence of false teaching. These teachings blended philosophy, religious traditions, and human ideas with the truth of Christ, leading believers to question whether Christ alone was sufficient. Though Paul had likely never met them, he wrote with the heart of a spiritual father, seeking to steady them in truth. Notice how Paul begins. He does not start by confronting the errors directly. Instead, he points to what God has already done among them. He gives thanks for their faith, their love, and their hope.
Their faith in Christ Jesus is the foundation of their salvation. Their love for all the saints is the visible evidence of that salvation. And both are sustained by the hope laid up in heaven—the future that Christ has secured for them.
This hope is not shaped by changing circumstances. It is anchored in the gospel they first heard. The Colossians did not need additional knowledge or spiritual “upgrades.” What they had already received in Christ was complete.
Paul goes on to say that this gospel “is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world… as it also does among you” (v.6). The gospel is living and active. Wherever it is truly received, it produces growth and transformation. It reshapes how people trust, how they relate, and how they live.
Epaphras, who first brought the gospel to Colossae, had reported to Paul about their “love in the Spirit” (v.8). This is not merely natural affection, but love produced by the Holy Spirit. It is a love that goes beyond preference, comfort, or similarity. It is the kind of love that reflects the very heart of God.
In a time when confusion was entering the church, Paul points to this Spirit-shaped love as a clear mark of genuine faith. Scripture reminds us, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Those who belong to Him will increasingly reflect His love.
As we enter these next four months, the invitation before us is simple but searching: not only to understand God’s love, but to live it out—within the church, and beyond it.
Epaphras testified that the Colossian believers, through the work of the Holy Spirit, expressed genuine love for one another. When such love is lived out, it extends beyond the church and impacts the surrounding community.
Reflection:
Where is God inviting to grow in love? What is one concrete step that can be taken today?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word and for the hope we have in Christ. Forgive us when we treat the gospel as something familiar yet distant, rather than as a living reality that shapes our lives. Help us remain rooted in Christ, trusting that He is sufficient for all that we need. Grow in us a love that comes from the Holy Spirit—a love that is patient, humble, and real. Teach us to live in a way that reflects Your heart, so that our lives may point others to You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Click to read passage
Time has passed quickly, and we have now entered May 2026. Over the next four months, as a Christian community, we seek to focus on learning how to “glow in love for others.” We look to God to work in us, both personally and as a church, so that we may become a community shaped and marked by His love.
Let us consider the church in Colossae. Scripture says, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven… the gospel” (Colossians 1:3–5, ESV).
When Paul wrote this letter from prison in Rome around AD 60–62, the Colossian church had been established for only about five years. Yet the way Paul gives thanks reveals something significant: this was a church where the gospel was not only believed, but lived out.
At the same time, the church was facing the influence of false teaching. These teachings blended philosophy, religious traditions, and human ideas with the truth of Christ, leading believers to question whether Christ alone was sufficient. Though Paul had likely never met them, he wrote with the heart of a spiritual father, seeking to steady them in truth. Notice how Paul begins. He does not start by confronting the errors directly. Instead, he points to what God has already done among them. He gives thanks for their faith, their love, and their hope.
Their faith in Christ Jesus is the foundation of their salvation. Their love for all the saints is the visible evidence of that salvation. And both are sustained by the hope laid up in heaven—the future that Christ has secured for them.
This hope is not shaped by changing circumstances. It is anchored in the gospel they first heard. The Colossians did not need additional knowledge or spiritual “upgrades.” What they had already received in Christ was complete.
Paul goes on to say that this gospel “is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world… as it also does among you” (v.6). The gospel is living and active. Wherever it is truly received, it produces growth and transformation. It reshapes how people trust, how they relate, and how they live.
Epaphras, who first brought the gospel to Colossae, had reported to Paul about their “love in the Spirit” (v.8). This is not merely natural affection, but love produced by the Holy Spirit. It is a love that goes beyond preference, comfort, or similarity. It is the kind of love that reflects the very heart of God.
In a time when confusion was entering the church, Paul points to this Spirit-shaped love as a clear mark of genuine faith. Scripture reminds us, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Those who belong to Him will increasingly reflect His love.
As we enter these next four months, the invitation before us is simple but searching: not only to understand God’s love, but to live it out—within the church, and beyond it.
Epaphras testified that the Colossian believers, through the work of the Holy Spirit, expressed genuine love for one another. When such love is lived out, it extends beyond the church and impacts the surrounding community.
Reflection:
Where is God inviting to grow in love? What is one concrete step that can be taken today?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word and for the hope we have in Christ. Forgive us when we treat the gospel as something familiar yet distant, rather than as a living reality that shapes our lives. Help us remain rooted in Christ, trusting that He is sufficient for all that we need. Grow in us a love that comes from the Holy Spirit—a love that is patient, humble, and real. Teach us to live in a way that reflects Your heart, so that our lives may point others to You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.