photo #3013811

Paul’s Gratefulness – Colossians 1:3-8We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,**Praying and Praising**Paul begins by simply saying. I am grateful for you. He directs his thankfulness to God the father and our Lord Jesus Christ. By giving thanks to both, the Father and the Son, he shows that God the Father and Jesus are co-equal in power and place. And here in the 3rd verse of the epistle we see him use the full title of Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is where he wants the Colossians to focus on Jesus as Lord and Savior.He tells the church why he is thankful for them and that he is always praying for them. He has them on his perpetual prayer list.Then he tells them what he is giving thanks for. Look at Colossians 1:4-5 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;Paul is thankful for the three vital elements of the Christian life and belief are here andFaith, Love and Hope. These three elements form the base upon which all Christianity is built. If you remove one, then the entire structure collapses. These elements reoccur time and time again in Paul’s writing. I will give you just one example in…1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;Faith is trust and belief. Love is enables self-giving and self-sacrificing. Hope is the ability to look forward into eternity with anticipation, expectation and confidence.Paul goes on in vs. 6 and says these things come to you when you heard the truth of the Gospel and that seed of the gospel in them brought a harvest of fruit, since the first day you heard and knew of grace of God.Notice he adds, “in truth, the true Gospel they heard from Epaphras.**Essential Elements**The things that Paul is thankful for in the testimony of the Colossians are the same things every Christians should see as vital to their testimony as a child of God.We must build our testimonies, our lives, families and church within the three corners of Christian Faith, Hope and Love. Faith in God and His word, Love from Christ, to Christ and then passing love on to others like Christ, and the Hope of Heaven, that is confirmed in us by the Holy Spirit.Paul wrote to the Hebrews, Christians who were struggling due to persecution and throughout the letter he emphasized over and over the Christians Triad of faith, hope and love. Do a quick survey with me.Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love…Hebrews 13:1 Let brotherly love continue.Hebrews 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:Hebrews 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast,As we live the life of a child of God, a saint, a Christian we must always make sure that what we do, what we believe and what we plan is built within the boundaries of Faith, Hope and Love.As Paul told the Corinthians in the midst of their own errors in 1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now abides faith, hope, charity, these three..."