Today's Passage: Colossians 3:22–4:1

Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Today's Prayer: 

Father you despise slavery and bondage. May we be reminded in this passage of how you parted the Red Sea for Your people to escape from slavery in Egypt. Even more, may we be reminded of how you defeated death on the Cross that we may escape from the ultimate slavery of sin. 

Father, many today are still enslaved or labor in menial or humiliating arenas. Would you give any of us who are trapped by others or by our own circumstances to live transcendent above those circumstances knowing that any work we do for You stores into an eternal account that can never be stolen. Lord, help us work for You as our only audience. Whether our plight is from others who have abused power or by our own hands of enslaving debt, give us sincere hearts to know work was given to us before evil entered the world. It is a glorious thing to work with our hands and minds as you’ve created us to in Your image. 

Lord, additionally, help any of us who manage or lead others to do so in a manner that builds them up versus tears them down. Help us to love those under our authority in a way that doesn’t promote ourselves or abuse any power we’ve been given. Rather, help us see our role as helping each of them flourish in God’s mission for their lives. 

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Today's Passage: Colossians 3:18-21

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

Today's Prayer: 

Father, in a world that abuses power at every turn, you’ve called us to be different. In Ephesians 5:21 you instruct us first to submit to one another in Christ. We pray that, as men, women, and children, you would stir us to humility in heart to show preference to others and serve in our homes, churches, schools, and workplaces. Just like you washed the feet of Your disciples, help us in our marriages and families to take on the posture you modeled—that you would even wash the feet of one who would betray you hours later. 

Also, Lord you’ve given us as men double admonitions in these verses. You tell us twice to not be harsh. Lord, You have set the standard of leadership as the one who gets to sacrifice first. You did this by sacrificing Your life on a cross—to die for us, to sacrifice first. 

Father, would you help us as husbands and dads to sacrifice first that everything else flourishes around us. That our wives would feel nurtured, safe, and seen to then grow more into who you’ve made them to be. That our kids would find comfort, safety, and healthy boundaries to grow into the person you have created them to be. Help us not forget that we, as men, are also your bride as the church and your adopted child. 

Help us rest in these with you so we might know better how to lead and love our own. 

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Today's Passage: Colossians 3:15-17

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Today's Prayer: 

Father thank you for the joyful elements of worship we have as believers. 

You’ve given us Your word to teach and encourage each other. It is alive, sufficient, authoritative, necessary,  inerrant, and clear. You’ve also given us music and song. 

Lord, allow us to yield to You and be filled with Your Holy Spirit—to partake in this joy by singing and showing gratitude outwardly or inwardly by having a song in our heart. 

Help us know that our worship, gratitude, and study of scripture is to also benefit others we are connected to in the Body of Christ. Help us work to live unified with one another and work hard for peace in a world that works hard at dissension. 

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Today's Passage: Colossians 3:12-14

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 

Today's Prayer: 

Father, it’s been said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison ourselves hoping that someone else might die. Would you help us right now by bringing to mind anyone we may need to forgive, maybe for the first time. To no longer hold them guilty in our own private court of law. 

Father, would you also help us continue to re-forgive any time we are triggered over things we’ve already forgiven. Help us Lord to know we cannot “forgive and forget.” We know in our earthly minds memories can still flood us. Help us use those times to offer those people or circumstances that have wounded us back to You as an offering and reminder of Your forgiveness to us. 

Lord, would you help us also wear the new clothing of the Kingdom that You’ve given us. Help us live these fruits of the Spirit today in Your power and not our own. Lord, I ask right now that You help us empty ourselves to be filled with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and forgiveness. 

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Today's Passage: Colossians 3: 5-11

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Today's Prayer: 

Lord it is tempting to define ourselves now based on what we were before knowing you. It is tempting to live in the shame of our old self, the flesh, the residue that remains of our former life. It is like a weed that can come back even though we thought it had been uprooted. 

Father, your word says we once walked in these. Before you, we routinely followed that path with a destination of numbing our pain or seeking pleasure outside of you. But, we thank you Father that through Your power we are no longer slaves to sin, that the Spirit who raised us in Christ now empowers us to live a transformed life. 

Help us now choose differently because you’ve given us a new heart. 

Psalm 16:2 says that we have nothing good apart from You. 

Help us today to live renewed in Your image and as our only source of delight and not chase old, earthly pursuits that never satisfy. 

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Today's Passage: Colossians 3: 1-4

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Today's Prayer: 

Father for some reason you’ve called us into a relationship with You.

You want us to be with You, where You are, and about what You are about.

Your eternal decree is too marvelous to comprehend.

Yet, you’ve also placed us at Your table to be not only servants but also friends.

Here, we are protected and fully alive.

Help us today to reflect on the things you are about.

Your word says in Philippians 4:8 to think on eight things: whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and anything worthy of praise.

Lord, as we are not guaranteed tomorrow, will you help us today to hide in the shadow of Your wings—free to be with You and about Your Kingdom.

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Today's Passage: Colossians 2: 18-23

Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Today's Prayer: 

We choose to reject worldly systems and embrace the cross we choose to reject pride and instead Embrace the mercy of God We choose the one mediator who bore our sins on the cross.

We confess Christ as the head of the body come in the one who nourishes us. We ask you to knit us together. Holy Spirit, we ask you to make manifests the gifts you've given to our church for the work of equipping and edifying your body. We confess that we are members of Christ and members of one another. Teach us Holy Spirit, the role you have for each of us. May none of us think of ourselves as useless, and without gifting.

Rather than focusing on our gifts, we choose to focus on you God, our head.

Father, we lift our gaze to you and as we do, we ask that we would be transformed into your likeness. As we look in Your wonderful face, we ask that the things of earth would grow strangely dim, in the light of Your glory and grace.

In Jesus name we pray…Amen.

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Today's Passage: Colossians 2: 13-17

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 

Today's Prayer: 

God in our heart of hearts. We confess you did it, and in so doing, you made everything available to us. We thank you for making us alive in Christ. We thank you for canceling our debts. We thank you for the way that you have nailed them to the cross, and for the person who needs to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you have accomplished this.

Would you minister to their hearts today? Holy spirit, you make us a different kind of people.

You make us the kind of people who walk in the awareness of a God who triumphs over rulers and authorities. We say to you, the substance belongs to Christ. On this day, the substance belongs to you, and it is in your name that we pray. Amen.

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Today's Passage: Colossians 2: 8-12

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 

Today's Prayer: 

Father, the language of being taken captive is unsettling.

Holy spirit, we ask that you would make us a discerning people. We choose against human wisdom in favor of spiritual wisdom and understanding and we pray  the truth of Proverbs 9:10 over our lives today, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Holy Spirit, in the same way we asked you to illumine our hearts to the ways we’ve been deceived through persuasive arguments, we come to you again today and ask that you show us where we’ve been taken captive through the philosophy and deception of our time and generation. You have made us a particular kind of. You tell us in 1 Peter that we are…

9 …A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

Chosen. Royal. Priests. Holy. Your possession for the purpose of proclamation. We can scarcely wrap our minds around it but It is the truest true!

Oh God, life East of Eden threatens to conform us to its patterns, but we choose to be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we might prove what is good, acceptable, and perfect (Romans 12:2). 

Our hearts thrill to read of how You have made us complete. We take our place under your headship and authority. On this day, we choose again to put off our flesh and walk as Spirit-people. Again we make our confession that we have been buried with You in baptism, and raised by God in faith. 

Our new identity is firm. Our future not up for discussion and secure in You. Move in power in and through us today. 

In the strong name of Jesus we prayer…Amen.

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Today's Passage: Colossians 2: 4-7

I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. 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.

Today's Prayer: 

Dear God, would you illumine the places in our lives where we have either been deceived or are at risk of deception from the persuasive arguments of our day and time. Speak to our heart even in this moment, Lord and shine your light on the places we are thinking wrongly…acting wrongly…believing wrongly…

We so identify with the people of Colossae and we confess that it our desire to stand firm and steadfast. We want to be an immovable people when it comes to walking in truth. We confess that error will divide us, and it is our desire that truth unite us as a body.

Psalm 119:32 says. “I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding” and we ask you to broaden our understanding.

Father we come to you in full confidence today asking you to make us a people of stability. As your people, marked by having received Christ Jesus the Lord, we choose to walk in you. Holy Spirit, apply the finished work of Christ to our lives. Root us deeply and firmly. Build us, grow us up in Christ. We reject a life that lulls us to sleep. We reject a life that makes little of you. We reject a faith that is passive. And in its place, we choose a faith that is rooted and established. 

We bless Your name. We thank you, Christ Jesus, for Your finished work. We praise you because You are exalted far above all powers and principalities and You sit at the right hand of the Father where are right now intercede for us. 

As we move throughout this day, with all that it holds, both large and small, we do so overflowing with gratitude at the life you make possible for your people. 

In Christ’s name we pray…Amen.

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