Living in the Spirit

July 7, 2022

Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:1-14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. –Colossians 1:1-8

Recently, I watched the Thunder basketball team’s first game in the summer league. All the players were there because they had achieved great respect as basketball players before they were drafted to the NBA. The players may have had a few practices before this game but mostly they came without much experience in playing with one another. At first, a small amount of chaos occurred within both teams. Team sports to succeed requires precision in working together. Players learn how a particular team member catches the ball leading to an advantageous shot at the goal, for example. Every team member has an important contribution to make the success of the game.

In Paul’s letters to the churches he helped create, he always recognize how well, or not, the members worked together. Not only in how much they excelled in sharing their talents but also in how well they enabled their fellow workers to realize their gifts and implement their use. We are all part of the crew developing the beloved community.

The world is trying hard to divide and conquer God’s people. God can and will empower us to rise above those distractions and hasten the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Lord, enable us to serve together and find common ground for the Common Good. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.