 I admire the apostle Paul for several reasons. One of them being his persistent prayer for the churches to whom he ministers. He makes it clear in his letters how thankful he is for the churches and how he prays for them often.
 I’ve been writing articles since November 27, 2014. But I’ve never written an article with a wedding band on my finger. A lot can change in six years. I’m thankful.
 Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. By now, dinner is reduced to a plateful of leftovers. Christmas decorations escape the attic. Black Friday deals cause us to lose our minds. (It always amazes me how we’re thankful for what we have and rush down Walmart aisles for what we don’t have on the same day). But for those who follow Christ, Thanksgiving is more than a yearly holiday. It’s a way of life.
The apostle Paul writes, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Col. 2:6-7 ESV). On this day after Thanksgiving, I want to study these two verses. May God open our eyes to His Word and stir our affections for Him.  I admire the apostle Paul for a number of reasons. One of them being his persistent prayer for the churches to whom he ministers. He makes it clear in his letters how thankful he is for the churches and how he prays for them often.
One of those churches is the church in Thessalonica. Allow me to share some verses with you from his two letters to this church.  I’m drawn to a couple of verses in Colossians this week.
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Col. 2:6-7 ESV). I want to focus on three different parts of this scripture. First, “walk in him.” This makes sense. I mean, we should walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. In fact, the Bible says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25 ESV). This verse from Galatians falls shortly after the Fruits of the Spirit. In other words, when we “walk in him,” we sacrifice our fleshly desires and make room for the Holy Spirit. |