Week 1 Monday
S- Colossians 1:1-4 "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. 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— "
O- Paul is greeting the faithful people of Colossae. He is thankful to God for their faith and love for God's people.
A- Thank God for my Christian friends and the examples that they are to me and my family.
P- Dear God, Thank you so much for placing so many faithful friends into my life. Thank you for the love they show me and others. I pray that you would make me a godly example to others as well. Help me to serve and show my love for others with gladness and a happy heart.
I also wanted to add that it was very helpful (and also sometimes challenging) to do my reading and post my journals BEFORE reading everyone else's. Then I would go and read what God taught everyone else and learn so much more.
Week 1 Tuesday
S- Colossians 1:5-8 "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. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit."
O- They heard the true message of the gospel and placed their hope in heaven! Their faith and love springs from that. And because of it the gospel is bearing fruit and growing.
A- I know that after I heard, understood, and placed my trust in the gospel that I felt just like this! I had new hope in heaven! How exciting to KNOW that one day I will be in heaven with Jesus! How can I keep that to myself?! I love Jesus! I'm sure that people think I'm a Jesus freak and don't think it's as cool as I do. I've lost some "friends" on facebook for it, I'm sure. I also know that as hard as it can be to be shut down and have harsh words said to me, it is so awesome and encouraging to hear even a single person's faith has been strengthened for sharing a verse or story about the truth He gives us in our Bible's. I need to be more bold with sharing God's truth and not let Satan scare me. God is bigger!
P- Dear God, Thank you for saving me! Thank you for giving me hope in heaven! Thank you for changing me as much as you have. And thank you that you aren't done yet! Thank you for the excitement you have given me in you. Thank you that I can know for sure that I will be in heaven with you! Thank you for living a perfect life so that you could pay my debt for all my many sins. Thank you for your sacrifice for me. And for so many others. I pray that you would use me to teach others of your truth even when it's scary. Thank you for loving me most. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Week 1 Wednesday
S- Colossians 1:9-10 "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,"
O- They did not stop praying! They CONTINUALLY asked God to fill them with the knowledge of his will.
A- Be in constant prayer with God. And what a great prayer this is!
P- Dear God, I pray that you would fill us all with the knowledge of your will. I pray for wisdom and understanding as we read through the book of Colossians together. I pray that you would lead us to live a life worthy of you and that we would do all things to please you. Help us to seek you before, during, and after all things. I pray that we would all know you better and be more like you daily! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!
From the blog HERE... This blog shared how to use the SOAP journal method. I love reading everyone's journals and what they got from the daily scriptures, so I have added her SOAP from yesterday's reading so you can see how she does it. You can click on the link to read the full blog if you haven't already subscribed.
How do I S.O.A.P.?
Here is my personal example from yesterday’s verses….
Colossians 1:5-8
S- The faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
O- (Many times I just bullet my observations……what I’m seeing at first glance when looking at the verses)
- When you combine faith and love, you get hope.
- We have to remember that our hope is in heaven…….it is yet to come.
- The gospel is the word of truth.
- The gospel is continually bearing fruit and growing from the 1st day to the last.
- It just takes one person to change a whole community…..Epaphras.
A-Something that stood out to me today was how God used one man, Epaphras to change a whole town!!! I was reminded that we are simply called to tell others about Christ……it’s God’s job to spread the gospel….to grow it and have it bear fruit. I felt today’s verses were almost directly spoken to GMG…..“all over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.” Isn’t it fun when God’s Word becomes so alive and speaks directly were we are at?!!!! My prayer today is that all the women involved in this Bible study, over 15,000 now from 60 different countries, will understand God’s grace and have a thirst for His Word.
A quote from my Bible commentary that I wrote in my study guide “God’s Word is not just for our information, it for our transformation.”
P- Dear Lord, please help me to be a “Epapras”…..to tell others about you and then leave the results in your loving hands. Please help me to understand and apply what I have read today to my life personally thereby becoming more and more like you each and every day. Help me to live a life that bears the “fruit” of faith and love…….anchoring my hope in heaven, not here on earth. Help me to remember that the BEST is yet to come!
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