COLOSSIANS 1, part 1

Some time ago now, the Lord led me to begin reading the book of Colossians in the New Testament.  I love this little book.  Written in about 60 AD, it was birthed as a letter from the Apostle Paul, who was in prison in Rome, to the believers in Christ in Colosse in Asia Minor, whom he addresses in verse 2 as “holy and faithful brothers in Christ.”

He says in verse 3, “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 the saints.”

Who are the people in your life for whom you ALWAYS thank God in your prayers because of their faith in Jesus and their love for others?

The woman who immediately comes to my mind is Liz.  I met her in a night school calligraphy class in what seemed like such a random encounter, but was actually a divine appointment.  A chat on the way out of class identified her as another believer in Jesus, such a godsend to me as a Christian young mom, newly moved into town.  What followed were invitations to bring my girls over for a swim in her pool, introductions to her friends, and ultimately an invitation to a Bible Study Fellowship class in which she had a leadership role.

When I finally did take her up on that invitation, a year had gone by, during which we were each busy with our own lives and had not seen one another.  But when I arrived at the first class the next September, she remembered me!  And she didn’t just have A leadership role, she was THE LEADER of a class of more than one hundred women!  That was the beginning of ten years of relationship with Liz, my friend and mentor, and eventually my partner in leadership as I served as her substitute teacher.

Liz loved me and poured into me the training it would take for me to be a good, but also godly leader.  We talked together about the Lord, what we were learning of Him in the Bible, and how we were applying it to our lives.  Having raised five godly sons, she taught me how to love my husband and children as the Lord would have me do so.  We had sweet times of prayer together, over our leadership responsibilities, and also for our families.  

In every way, Liz modeled godliness and love to me.  She was quiet and an introvert like me, but she had a love for women that overcame any reluctance she may have had about making the first move to get to know them.  She would express kindness to strangers and then invite them to Bible Study Fellowship so that they could get to know Jesus the way she knew Him.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians he said that the faith and love they exhibited sprung from the hope they had through the gospel, the word of truth, which had come to them and which had implications not only for the present, but for eternity.  In chapter 1, verse 6 he said, “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.”

The gospel Liz believed and lived bore fruit in my heart and life, as it did in the lives of all those women into whom she poured her life, and who sat under her teaching as the Spirit of God spoke through her in our Bible Study Fellowship class.  

Oh, to have a reputation like the Colossians, and like my friend Liz!  To be known by our faith in Christ and the love we have for others.  That is a worthy aim, one for which I long to be known!