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Quiet Time in Colossians 1


EXPAND TO READ: COLOSSIANS 1 (HCSB)

 

PERSONAL JOURNAL:


SIN (verse 13): Quite often since coming to faith, I have tried so hard to “rescue” myself from my past. I have tried to be in control of my rescuing, my redemption, and my restoration. As a result, I have failed heavily at all of these because I was trying to do it myself and in my way. Please forgive me for my inherent need for control, Father. You tell us that You have rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son You love. You have already rescued me, yet for some reason I am still trying to be in control rescuing myself. This makes no sense why I would do this? It’s like if I were drowning in a pool and a lifeguard pulls me out of the pool, yet I keep jumping back into the pool trying to rescue myself instead and failing each and every time. You are my lifeguard and You keep rescuing me no matter how many times I’ve tried to throw myself back in thinking I am rescuing myself. Help me, Father, so that I no longer live in this cycle I’ve been living in. Help me to realize and appreciate that I am not in control; You are in control and I need to be okay with that because when I allow You to take control all things work out great but when I continue to try and be in control I constantly mess things up for myself.

 

PROMISE (verse 14): There are a total of nine words in this verse, yet the promise they give us is something I still struggle to take hold of fully even today. You tell us that we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him (Jesus). I do not know why I struggle with this so much, but it’s likely because of what I confessed in my sin journal about needing to be in control. You’ve already given me the promise of redemption, of forgiveness of my sins, yet for some reason I often feel like I still need to earn it. This is a promise You’ve given to me freely and all I need to do is fully accept it. Please continue to remind me of this promise, Father, so that I can slowly squelch my urges to be in control. Continue to remind me of this promise, so that as I progress in my faith, the control I try to take for myself is released fully to You over my life.

 

ATTITUDE (verses 11-12): This prayer that Paul does over the Colossians is something I feel in my heart as being prayer over me as well. Paul prays that they are strengthened with all power, according to Your glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy and giving thanks to the Father who has enabled all of this to share in the saints’ inheritance. I do often struggle with living in an attitude that reflects Your joy, Father. I often try to do all of this on my own, which often leads to me just robotically doing things instead of doing the things You want me to do in a joyful way. Help me to be better at embracing Your joy, Father, so that as I allow You to strengthen me, as I allow You to provide me with endurance and patience, I will continue to access and live in the joy that You continuously offer freely to me.

 

COMMAND (verse 9): This may not be a direct command, but I do feel it as a conviction of a command on my own heart. Paul mentions that he hasn’t stopped praying for the Colossians. Although I do pray during my quiet times, I pray when I eat a meal, and I often pray while in church, I do not pray constantly like Paul seems to have been. I feel that I should be praying far more often than I am, which is why I feel this is a command to me in a sense. I feel urged by the Spirit to pray more frequently for my relationship with God, for my family’s relationship with God, and for all those around me and even strangers. Please help guide me in these times, Father, so that I not only become better at praying, but also so that I become more consistent and frequent in my prayer life. I do not want to be a “worldly” Christian in this respect. I want to be what You expect of me and I feel that I relate heavily to Paul. If he felt the urge to pray frequently, as did Jesus, then I should also be living my life in this way. Help me to follow You better, Father, at all times in my life through prayer, petition, and following Your will for my life.

 

EXAMPLE (verses 21-23): The words Paul speaks here are so valid even to me two thousand years later. He told the Colossians that they were once alienated and hostile in their own minds because of their evil actions. The part that leaps off the page to me is when he says “in your own minds.” I get in my head a LOT and this often leads me down paths that are no where near Your will for my life, especially not my thought-life. He then continued to say that they are now reconciled by Jesus to present us holy, faultless, and blameless before Him. If we remained grounded and steadfast in our faith and not are shifted away from the hope of the gospel that we’ve heard, then He is always with us. Help me to live more in this way, Father, by putting away the old thought life and allowing my renewed self to take over my thoughts. Any time my old self tried to creep back up into my head, please be there with me to help me squelch all of those evil thoughts. Thank You, Father, for the reconciliation You’ve provided me in my life through Jesus.

 

*DAILY NOTE: I think I’ve read Colossians before in its entirely, but I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so much out of it as I have just in the first chapter in today’s quiet time. It is amazing how much these writings from thousands of years ago still speak to me today. It is amazing how far along my relationship with You has come in such a short period of time. Thank You so much, Father, for the great works You are doing in my life. Thank You so much for this ever-increasing relationship I’m growing with You. Rephrased from my Real Men reality statement, I know I am not perfect and still have many flaws, but I also know that as I begin to allow You to renew my mind in all aspects, that I will slowly but surely begin to access the grace to live righteously. Thank You, Father!

 

EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES


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