WEDNESDAY October 16, 2024

Praying Always

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints....
Colossians 1:3-4

Paul voiced in his letter to the Colossians a grave situation––the problem of two main heresies that challenged the preeminence of Christ––Gnosticism and, once again, legalism. The doctrine of Gnosticism attacked the deity of Jesus Christ.

Gnostics believed that Jesus was not God. Legalism attacked the grace of God. Judaizers taught legalism. They falsely informed people that God’s grace was not enough to be saved. They needed to continue to live their lives in bondage to the Jewish Law. Christianity freed people from the Law to live their lives under the grace of God––period. These two false teachings were destroying people's faith in Christ and caused a lot of confusion.

Paul was thankful for the believers in Colossae who stood firm in the faith of Christ, and who were not swayed by heresy. He praised them for their genuine love for all the saints. Notice how Paul's prayer expresses his thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He continued to tell the Colossians that continuous prayers were being made for them.

Learning from Paul, our prayers should also begin with thanksgiving. Too often we start with petitioning God for our needs. In Matthew 6, Jesus taught His disciples to pray. The prayer is often referred to as “The Lord's prayer” or what is commonly known as “The Model Prayer.” Jesus instructed His disciples to address God first in their prayers: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). Afterwards, petitions were made for their needs: “Give us this day our daily bread...” (Matthew 6:11).

It is good to make it a habit to start our prayers with thanksgiving to God. However, our prayers need not be repetitious. We pray to the Lord from our hearts.

To give thanks to God is but a small return for the great benefits which he daily gives us.
~C.H. Spurgeon~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!