1This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.G3972G652G2424G5547G1223G2307G2316G2532G5095G802We are writing to God's holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace.G40G2532G4103G80G1722G5547G1722G2857G5485G5213G2532G1515G575G2316G2257G3962G2532G2962G2424G5547
Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer
3We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.G2168G2316G2532G3962G2257G2962G2424G5547G4336G3842G4012G52164For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God's people,G191G5216G4102G1722G5547G2424G2532G26G3588G1519G3956G405which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.G1223G1680G3588G606G5213G1722G3772G3739G4257G1722G3056G225G20986This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace.G3588G3918G1519G5209G2531G2532G1722G3956G2889G2532G2076G2592G2531G2532G1722G5213G575G3739G2250G191G2532G1921G5485G2316G1722G2257You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ's faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf.G2531G3129G2532G3129G575G1889G2257G27G4889G3739G2076G5228G5216G4103G1249G55478He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.G3588G2532G1213G2254G5216G26G1722G41519So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.G1223G5124G2249G2532G575G3739G2250G191G3973G3756G3973G4336G5228G5216G2532G154G2443G4137G1922G846G2307G1722G3956G4678G2532G4152G490710Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.G5209G4043G516G2962G1519G3956G699G2592G1722G3956G18G2041G2532G837G1519G1922G231611We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,G1412G1722G3956G1411G2596G846G1391G2904G1519G3956G5281G2532G3115G3326G547912always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.G2168G3962G3588G2427G2248G2427G1519G3310G2819G40G1722G545713For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,G3739G4506G2248G1537G1849G4655G2532G3179G1519G932G846G26G520714who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.G1722G3739G2192G629G1223G846G129G859G266
Christ Is Supreme
15Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,G3739G2076G1504G517G2316G4416G3956G293716for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.G3754G1722G846G2936G3956G2936G1722G3772G2532G1909G1093G3707G2532G517G1535G2362G1535G2963G1535G746G1535G1849G3956G2936G1223G846G2532G1519G84617He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.G2532G846G2076G4253G3956G2532G1722G846G3956G492118Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.G2532G846G2076G2776G4983G1577G3739G2076G746G4416G1537G3498G2443G1722G3956G846G1096G440919For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,G2106G3754G1722G846G2730G3956G4138G273020and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross.G2532G1517G1223G129G846G4716G1223G846G604G3956G1519G846G1223G846G1535G1909G1093G1535G1722G377221This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.G2532G5209G5607G4218G526G2532G2190G1271G1722G4190G2041G1161G3570G60422Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.G1722G4983G846G4561G1223G2288G3936G5209G40G2532G299G2532G410G846G271423But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God's servant to proclaim it.G1489G1961G4102G2311G2532G1476G2532G3361G3334G575G1680G2098G3739G191G3588G2784G1722G3956G2937G5259G3772G3739G1473G3972G1096G1249
Paul’s Work for the Church
24I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.G3739G3568G5463G1722G3450G3804G5228G5216G2532G466G5303G2347G5547G1722G3450G4561G5228G846G4983G5228G3603G157725God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you.G3739G1473G1096G1249G2596G3622G2316G3588G1325G3427G1519G5209G4137G3056G231626This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God's people.G3466G3588G613G575G165G2532G575G1074G1161G3570G5319G846G4027For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.G3739G2316G2309G1107G5101G4149G1391G5127G3466G1722G1484G3739G2076G5547G1722G5213G1680G139128So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.G3739G2249G2605G3560G3956G444G2532G1321G3956G444G1722G3956G4678G2443G3936G3956G444G5046G1722G5547G242429That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me.G1519G3739G2872G2532G2872G75G2596G846G1753G3588G1754G1722G1698G1722G1411
Colossians 2
2I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally.G1063G2309G5209G1492G2245G73G2192G4012G5216G2532G1722G2993G2532G3745G3708G3756G3708G3450G4383G1722G45612I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.G2443G846G2588G3870G4822G1722G26G2532G1519G3956G4149G4136G4907G1519G1922G3466G2316G2532G3962G2532G55473In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.G1722G3739G1526G614G3956G2344G4678G2532G11084I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments.G1161G5124G3004G3363G5100G3884G5209G1722G40865For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.G1063G1499G548G4561G235G1510G4862G5213G4151G5463G2532G991G5216G5010G2532G4733G5216G4102G1519G5547
Freedom from Rules and New Life in Christ
6And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.G5613G3880G3767G3880G5547G2424G2962G4043G1722G8467Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.G4492G2532G2026G1722G846G2532G950G1722G4102G2531G1321G4052G1722G846G1722G21698Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.G991G3361G5100G2071G4812G5209G1223G5385G2532G2756G539G2596G3862G444G2596G4747G2889G2532G3756G2596G55479For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.G3754G1722G846G2730G3956G4138G2320G498510So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.G2532G2075G4137G1722G846G3739G2076G2776G3956G746G2532G184911When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.G1722G3739G2532G4059G4061G886G1722G555G4983G266G4561G1722G4061G554712For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.G4916G846G1722G908G1722G3739G2532G4891G1223G4102G1753G2316G3588G1453G846G1537G349813You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.G2532G5209G5607G3498G1722G3900G2532G203G5216G4561G4806G4862G846G5483G5213G3956G390014He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.G1813G5498G1378G2596G2257G3739G2258G5227G2254G2532G142G846G1537G3319G4338G846G471615In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.G554G746G2532G1849G1165G1722G3954G2358G846G1722G84616So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.G2919G3361G5100G3767G2919G5209G1722G1035G2228G1722G4213G2228G1722G3313G1859G2228G3561G2228G452117For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.G3739G2076G4639G3195G1161G4983G554718Don't let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud,G2603G3367G2603G5209G2603G1722G2309G5012G2532G2356G32G1687G3739G3708G3361G3708G1500G5448G5259G846G4561G356319and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.G2532G3756G2902G2776G1537G3739G3956G4983G1223G860G2532G4886G2023G2532G4822G837G838G231620You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as,G3767G1487G599G4862G5547G575G4747G2889G5101G5613G2198G1722G2889G137921"Don't handle! Don't taste! Don't touch!"?G680G3361G1089G3366G2345G336622Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them.G3739G3956G2076G1519G5356G671G2596G1778G2532G1319G44423These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person's evil desires.G3748G2192G3303G2076G3056G4678G1722G1479G2532G5012G2532G857G4983G3756G1722G5100G5092G4314G4140G4561
Psalms 13
13[For the choir director: A psalm of David.] O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?H5329H4210H1732H7911H3068H5331H5641H64402How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?H7896H6098H5315H3015H3824H3119H341H73113Turn and answer me, O LORD my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.H5027H6030H3068H430H215H5869H3462H41944Don't let my enemies gloat, saying, "We have defeated him!" Don't let them rejoice at my downfall.H341H559H3201H6862H1523H41315But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.H982H2617H3820H1523H34446I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.H7891H3068H1580
Dublin, OH
in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace.G40
