This lesson in the book of Colossians highlights the importance of an unshakable faith.

"...if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant."

Colossians 1:23 NIV

We are in an exciting section on the preeminence of Christ! We not only are given powerful details about our Lord, but of the Father, the world, and ourselves. It is challenging, humbling, and inspires worship.

Noah Webster's Dictionary 1828 defines preeminence as "superiority in excellence; distinction in something commendable". Christ's preeminence is not something we think about very often, although it impacts everything we know and believe.

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Colossians 1:9-14

Today, Tracy continues our Colossians series by covering the topic of sowing and reaping.

To begin our Colossians series, Tracy lays out some basics to answer the "who", "why", and "where" of the book, and why these detail are important in understanding its meaning.

This summer, we have defined Christ-like agape love using Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13. It is a passage often used at weddings, but we hope you see it is a far more practical definition of love that is not exclusive to simply husbands and wives.

Tracy continued our Summer of Love series, and finished up discussing the characteristics of agape love in I Corinthians 13:4-7. The last two traits say that love always hopes and endures.

Today, we are back to good news! After a few weeks of learning what love IS NOT, it's time to get back to what LOVE IS.

“[Love] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:6).

Only when we stop viewing others as our competition can we genuinely desire the very best for them.