Colossians [Day 4]
Thanksgiving
No matter what we're facing in life, there's always at least one reason to thank and praise God. And when we thank and praise God, we invite His presence to fill the whole area and that's when transformation happens. Our Lord God is good all the time, and all the time our Lord God is good; so when we thank Him for all that He is and all that He has already done, we position our hearts to continue to receive His love and all that He wants to pour out on us.
Let's get into our verse of the day:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9-12 NIV
For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. Colossians 1:9-12 CSB
So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. Colossians 1:9-12 NLT
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Colossians 1:9-12 NKJV
For this reason, since the day we heard about it, we have not stopped praying for you, asking [specifically] that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [with insight into His purposes], and in understanding [of spiritual things], so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord [displaying admirable character, moral courage, and personal integrity], to [fully] please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing in the knowledge of God [with deeper faith, clearer insight and fervent love for His precepts]; [we pray that you may be] strengthened and invigorated with all power, according to His glorious might, to attain every kind of endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints (God’s people) in the Light. Colossians 1:9-12 AMP
Probably the most important part of the beautiful and powerful prayers, is the praise and thanksgiving for our God. Even before we've received the answers to our requests, God is still good. Even before the blessings, God is still good. Even before the storms have cleared up, God is still good. Because of what has already been done for us:
The Lord has qualified us to share in the inheritance of God's people, in the light. Our Heavenly Father has adopted us, as co-heirs with Christ Jesus, to receive all the spiritual blessings in Christ. We have paradise, eternal life in paradise, with our Lord because of what has been for us. Let us all spend the time to bow down and worship the Lord for His sacrifice and love.
- Challenge -
I think this might've been a previous challenge, but it's worth doing again:
Write down a list of things that you're grateful for. Make a list of all the reasons to thank God, and pray it to our Heavenly Father. Invite Him into your heart as you praise Him for all the goodness He has brought into our lives. And all the goodness that is yet to come!
- Closing Prayer -
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Sovereignty and Lordship over our lives; which allows us to live life to the full and not miss out on Your perfect love. We thank You Lord God for sacrificing Your Son to atone for our sins, and allow us to be righteous and blameless in Your sight Lord God. We thank You for allowing us to come before You boldly and confidently, so that we may learn about You and learn about who You created us to be, and be transformed into the creations You ordained for us to be. We thank You for Your Word that is the Bread of Life; that allows us to grow closer to You and testifies to Your love for all Your children.
We thank You Lord God for the precious Holy Spirit that guides us to the path of righteousness and aids us in steering away from sin and into consecration, so that our lives are pleasing to You, Lord God. We thank You for the work You have began in each of us, and will continue until completion, Lord God. We thank You for strength, patience, endurance, perseverance, confidence, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, gentleness, self-control, and unfailing love that You provide to us so that we too may reflect that to those around us; so that they might know You. We thank You Lord God, for all that You are that is what we yearn to be.
We thank You Lord God for all that You have blessed us with; regardless of our situation, You have been a Father to each of us; providing us with comfort during trials, and love during all seasons of our lives. We thank You for Your faithfulness that is not dependent on us, but rather it is who You are, Lord God. We thank You for all that is yet unseen, but for the things we put on faith and hope in, Lord God.
May Yours be the power and glory and kingdom, forever and ever.
In Jesus' name. Amen.