We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
—Colossians 1:3-14

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Enduring in Christ
By Jennifer Kane

In quiet moments, joy will find its way,
For in our hearts, a promise softly glows.
We walk with purpose on the path of light,
Enduring trials, knowing we are known.
No weight of darkness drapes our shoulders now—
For He who shaped the stars has thus declared:
We rise from shadows into sacred truth,
No longer bound by fear or doubt or shame.

Our hands are lifted high as grace abounds;
Through every struggle, love shall be our strength.
His mercy flows like rivers through our veins—
We learn to walk, to grow, to love, to serve.
For in the depths of sorrow we discover
The depth of grace that lifts us when we fall.

He qualified us for the holy light—
A kingdom built on love and not on fear.
His power reigns, and in His strength we stand,
Adorned with gifts of patience, hope, and faith.
We do not toil to earn His saving hand—
For in our hearts, salvation ever sings:
A song of freedom from the days now past,
Transformed by grace into a life renewed.

O joyous truth—we find our place in Him,
No longer lost but cherished as His own.
Kindred to Christ, we walk the narrow path,
His Spirit fills our quiet days with grace.
And when the nights are heavy with our cares,
We lift our eyes, remembering our home.

For in our failures, mercy overwhelms,
Forgiveness flows, a river deep and wide.
We find our strength in Him who loves us best,
And in that certainty, we learn to stand—
To bear the weight of days with hopeful hearts,
Content to know that we are not alone.

With joy we persevere—we rise, we thrive;
In every moment, blessed by the divine.
His kingdom calls, inviting us to walk
In paths of righteousness, where love abides.
We shed the cloak of night and proudly don
The armor of His promise, bright and true.

In Christ, we grow, we seek, we learn, we share—
Together, as one body, hand in hand.
In unity, we shine through distant lands,
Proclaiming hope, reflecting light and grace.
Our lives declare the love we’ve freely gained,
A testament to all that He has done.

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Scripture: Colossians 1:3-14

Sometimes, we try to endure by sheer will—gritting our teeth, pushing forward, wearing spiritual weariness like a badge of honor. But Paul offers a different picture in Colossians 1:3–14. One full of grace, gratitude, and God’s glorious strength. His prayer for the Colossians is rich with purpose, and it teaches us not just how to endure—but how to endure in Christ.

Paul opens with thanksgiving. Before he asks anything for the Colossians, he thanks God for what He’s already done. That’s the first heartbeat of endurance: gratitude. Gratitude shifts our focus from what’s hard to what God is doing—even in the middle of the hard. Paul is thankful for three specific signs of gospel transformation in their lives:

Faith in Christ – not a vague belief, but a trusting, obedient, anchored faith.
Love for all believers – a Spirit-born love that reaches beyond personality or preference.
Hope laid up in heaven – not just wishful thinking, but a secure anchor for their present trials.

These three—faith, love, and hope—are signs that the gospel is alive in them. And Paul is clear: it’s the true gospel that produces this fruit. It’s bearing fruit all over the world, and it’s bearing fruit in their lives too. That’s what the gospel does—it grows, transforms, endures. Paul mentions Epaphras, the one who first brought them the message. A faithful servant, Epaphras didn’t just deliver words—he brought the truth, and the Spirit made it real.

But Paul doesn’t stop at thankfulness. He prays for their growth—because enduring in Christ isn’t static. He prays that they would be “filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Not just knowing about God’s will, but truly knowing it, embracing it, and living it out.

And this knowledge isn’t just intellectual—it’s deeply practical. Paul wants them to live lives that are worthy of the Lord, lives that please Him, that bear fruit in every good work, and that grow in knowing God more deeply. Knowing leads to doing, and doing deepens knowing.

Still, Paul knows we can’t live this way in our own strength. So he prays for divine power—not power for performance or miracles, but power for endurance. “Strengthened with all power according to his glorious might…” Why? So they can endure and be patient—with joy. That line gets me every time. Endurance with joy isn’t natural. It’s supernatural. It’s the fruit of God’s Spirit at work in a heart rooted in Christ.

And then Paul reminds us why we can live like this. Why we can endure. Why we can walk worthy. Why we can grow, love, obey, and persevere with joy. Because God has already acted:
He has qualified us to share in the inheritance of His holy people.
He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness.
He has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.
In Christ, we have redemption—the forgiveness of sins.

We don’t endure to earn salvation. We endure because we’ve received it. We’ve been brought out of darkness and into light. We belong to Jesus now—His kingdom, His power, His grace.

This passage shows us that endurance isn’t about stubborn survival—it’s about abiding in the One who already won. Paul’s prayer for the Colossians shows a clear, Spirit-shaped path:

Gratitude for what God has done
→ Growth in knowledge and obedience
→ God’s power enabling joyful endurance
→ All grounded in the grace of Christ who saved us.

When we live in this flow—rooted in the gospel, strengthened by His might, aiming to please Him in all we do—we’re not just surviving. We’re enduring in Christ. And that makes all the difference.

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Father God, I confess that sometimes I try to endure in my own strength, and I grow weary. Teach me to live in the flow of your grace—thankful for what You’ve done, hungry to know Your will, and joyful in endurance because of Your power in me. Thank You for rescuing me, forgiving me, and giving me a place in Your kingdom. Help me walk in a way that pleases You today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

July 24 2025