S – For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁵ because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you for your benefit

1 Thessalonians 1:4–5 CSB

O – The gospel to the church was not just eloquence but had tangible power, evidenced by the Holy Spirit and full of confidence and conviction.  

A – We as the church need to make sure we are not giving “lip service” to God and His Word.  We can know the word but we need to walk confidently in the transformation that comes in knowing Christ.  We have all the blessings at our disposal, including miracles and healings.  Our faith can walk in total conviction that God can accomplish his purpose in us.

R – Lord, I invite your Holy Spirit to move in my life today.  I surrender my will and desires for yours.  I believe in Your Word and move from understanding to faith that you can do all things.  I pray that my life will line up with those actions and convictions.  And, it will bring glory back to You.

S – Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person. 

Colossians 4:6 CSB 

O – Key Words

“gracious”. charis,  graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act; espec. the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; incl. gratitude):

The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words 

“salt” halas, hal´-as;  salt; fig. prudence:— salt.   (Prudence -diligence, discretion, wisdom)

 The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words 

A – What would our words do if they were led by the “divine influence upon the heart” and measured by diligence, discretion and wisdom?  They would be full of compassion, courage and divine insight.  People would feel valued and known.  There would be honesty and understanding.

R – Lord, I invite you into my conversations today.  I ask that my speech by gracious and measured by your wisdom.  I want all the characteristics that I listed above.  Lead and guard my tongue today.  Let my words bring honor to You!

S – And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

Colossians  3:17 CSB

O – Commentary:  

as a representative of the Lord Jesus (literally in the name of the Lord Jesus): In the Bible, a person’s name represents that person. To do something in the name of the Lord Jesus is therefore to act in a way that is in harmony with his identity and under his authority

 New Living Translation Study Bible 

A – Any word or action should represent Jesus.  Just like my family shares a common name and that reflects on us as a whole.  Our lives are a living representation of what we believe about God.

R – Lord, I invite you into my thoughts, words and actions today.  Let me be a pleasing representation of your love and character.  Let me bring life and your love to all I interact with today.

S –  God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory

Col 1:27 CSB

O – Commentary: 

That this mystery would be made known among the Gentiles had been prophesied (e.g., Is 66:19) and was now being fulfilled (1:25). *Old Testament writers often said that God dwelled “among” his people Israel (Num 35:34), and on a personal level, “within” some of them (Gen 41:38; Num 27:18; Dan 4:8, 18; 5:11, 14; 1 Pet 1:11; more often, “filled,” “rested on”).  But no one expected him to dwell among the Gentiles—indeed, on the personal level, within them (Col 2:12; 3:4, 16).

  The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament

“Hope of glory” – In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3–4). 

A – Everyone has the opportunity to accept Christ as their Lord and the Holy Spirit will be in you.  We have the benefit of hindsight after Christ’s resurrection and the early church doing the hard work of this “new” message.  The hope of glory allows us to walk in the power of his resurrection today, knowing our inheritance is heaven with Him.

R – Lord, I am grateful for your love for us.  Lead us through your Holy Spirit to walk in the power of your resurrection.  We will obey your Word and demonstrate our love for You and others in a tangible way.  We will walk in compassion and courage, knowing you are in control of all things.

S – Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:6–7 CSB

O – We should not worry about things.  Instead, we should pray and make our requests known to God in gratitude.  There is a peace which we cannot comprehend will guard our soul and our intellect.

Commentary:

Which passes all understanding (ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν). Either, which passes all power of comprehension, compare Eph. 3:20; or, better, which surpasses every (human) reason

Word Studies in the New Testament

A – It is healthy to think through and ponder things.  It is unhealthy to worry, fret and build anxiety in our lives.  We serve an unlimited God – why wouldn’t we invite him into our fears and concerns?   The prize is peace.  In the worst situations, we can have peace.  We have to receive it through faith and trust in Him.

R – Lord, a lot is going on in our lives.  I invite your Holy Spirit to be a part of all of it.  The good and the challenging.  In making our requests known to you, we also invite your peace to come in our lives.  Let us walk in that peace in all that we encounter today.

S – Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, ¹⁴ I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus

 Philippians 3:13–14 CSB

O – We need to realize the race is a journey not a sprint. We can learn from the past but not dwell on it.  The next step in the journey is before us. We must pursue it as a prized goal.

A – Such a great picture of our relationship with Christ.  Although rest and reflection are vital parts, the action of growing forward is predominant if we are to complete the race well. “Forget” is challenging because our past either hinders us or it teaches us.  “Reaching” requires going to a place you’ve never been.  

R – Lord, I invite the Holy Spirit to be part of my “race” today.  Give me the courage to dig deeper into all the gifts and talents you gave me to run hard.  Let my mind draw wisdom from my past and set my attitude in attaining new ground.  Doing your will is my goal today!

S – Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. 

And when he had come as a man, ⁸ he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—

even to death on a cross.

 Philippians 2:7–8 CSB

O – Jesus demonstrated humility and the principle of serving by taking on all aspects of being human.  He showed more humility by modeling perfect obedience to God, which led to his death on the cross.

A – With so many opportunities to stop or change the assignment, Jesus never wavered.  The Creator became the creation to see human life with a “real-time” body.  It is humbling to know He did it with the cross as the goal.  It is even more humbling to know He did it with us on his mind.

R – Lord, thank you for your journey to the cross.  With a foundation of humility, you served us by modeling a life that obeyed God.  You remained obedient even when you could have stopped.  You were faithful to the end.  I pray that we will follow in your footsteps today.  Ground us in humility, give us courage to be obedient and be faithful to your calling today.

S – And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ

Philippians 1:9–10 CSB

O – Paul desires for the believer to grow in their agape love (unconditional love) to grow in knowledge (recognition – practical) and discernment (spiritual perception).  This will allow the believer to discern what is best.  This gives them the ability to move towards it and move away from things that are not for their betterment.

A – This is a great prayer for us.  We need to have the ability to develop the practices that are going to bring daily growth for us physically, mentally and emotionally.  Adding discernment will allow us to recognize the spiritual elements that will affect us and give us insight into how to move toward God’s will.

R – Lord, I invite your Holy Spirit into my day in every aspect.  I pray that my love will grow for You and all those I will interact with today.  Help me to grow in my knowledge so I will recognize the things today that will help me take new steps in all areas.  Help me to grow in my discernment – I want to see things as you see them.  Thank you, God, for being with me today.

S – To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband. 

Ephesians 5:33 CSB

O – Paul summarizes this teaching with two directives

       1. Husbands love your wives. 

       2. Wives respect your husbands.

A – Everyone wants to be loved and respected.  There is a natural bent for men to desire respect and for women wanting love.  One of the benefits of marriage is that it is meant to meet that need and desire.  Both men and women need to find ways to genuinely express what their spouse needs.

R – Lord, thank you for my wife.  Help me to express my love for her in a way that will bring her fulfillment, peace and security.  Thank you for the gift that she is to me and our family.  Bless her today to fulfill the purposes that you created her to accomplish.