" Faith that works "
Colossians 1:4-6a ... because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and
of the love you have for all the saints - the faith and love that spring from
the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard
about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. (NIV)
Some people think that faith is a personal fantasy to make the believer feel better.
That is not the truth about faith in the Lord Jesus.
Trusting in Him is a life-changing adventure which affects every part of who you are.
Paul the Apostle was giving thanks to God for a church he had never visited,
and he did not know most of the believers there.
Why?
His warm enthusiasm was because reports had reached him
(probably in prison in Rome) that their faith was working.
True Christian faith is not just a private matter; it affects the way people live.
And Paul had heard that the believers in Colosse loved each other.
Despite their different religious backgrounds (Jewish and pagan),
different cultural roots (Hebrew, Greek and Roman),
different social status (slaves and freemen),
different educational opportunities, genders and ages,
their faith had resulted in genuine mutual love.
That was a Christ-like miracle!
Their love and faith had a common destiny because they had a common origin.
Their practice of loving, respecting and serving each other came
from understanding that they were all part of God's eternal kingdom.
Their background did not matter any more:
what counted was that they knew
they would all be equally accepted in heaven.
That truth was part of the gospel of Jesus they had believed.
So, it made sense to love the others in the church,
not only because of a brotherly bond to encourage each other each day,
but also because they would share heaven one day.
The church is not a consumer organization where we get what we demand or pay for!
It is a serving family where the hope of heaven stirs us to love each other until we are received into Glory.
That sort of behavior validates our faith and demonstrates it to others (John 13:34-35).
Although the pressure of the modern workplace places more emphasis on results than relationships,
Christians in the workplace need to understand that they belong to each other there,
just as they do in the church.
Christian fellowship matters: it is intended to be a taste of heaven.
So we also need to be careful that our work does not eclipse our family responsibility
to meet with others in the church (Hebrews 10:25).
How we treat other believers in church will set the pattern for the way we treat other Christians at work.
Prayer for the day : -
Great God of Glory.
Thank You for the confidence that all who trust in Jesus have already received eternal life,
and one day will share the glories of heaven with Him.
Please forgive me when I am so focussed on today's tasks that
I cannot see the church and the rest of life in Your eternal perspective.
Please help me to understand the family nature of my life in Christ,
and enable me to express it in loving fellowship.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
=================================================
Colossians 1:4-6a ... because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and
of the love you have for all the saints - the faith and love that spring from
the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard
about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. (NIV)
Some people think that faith is a personal fantasy to make the believer feel better.
That is not the truth about faith in the Lord Jesus.
Trusting in Him is a life-changing adventure which affects every part of who you are.
Paul the Apostle was giving thanks to God for a church he had never visited,
and he did not know most of the believers there.
Why?
His warm enthusiasm was because reports had reached him
(probably in prison in Rome) that their faith was working.
True Christian faith is not just a private matter; it affects the way people live.
And Paul had heard that the believers in Colosse loved each other.
Despite their different religious backgrounds (Jewish and pagan),
different cultural roots (Hebrew, Greek and Roman),
different social status (slaves and freemen),
different educational opportunities, genders and ages,
their faith had resulted in genuine mutual love.
That was a Christ-like miracle!
Their love and faith had a common destiny because they had a common origin.
Their practice of loving, respecting and serving each other came
from understanding that they were all part of God's eternal kingdom.
Their background did not matter any more:
what counted was that they knew
they would all be equally accepted in heaven.
That truth was part of the gospel of Jesus they had believed.
So, it made sense to love the others in the church,
not only because of a brotherly bond to encourage each other each day,
but also because they would share heaven one day.
The church is not a consumer organization where we get what we demand or pay for!
It is a serving family where the hope of heaven stirs us to love each other until we are received into Glory.
That sort of behavior validates our faith and demonstrates it to others (John 13:34-35).
Although the pressure of the modern workplace places more emphasis on results than relationships,
Christians in the workplace need to understand that they belong to each other there,
just as they do in the church.
Christian fellowship matters: it is intended to be a taste of heaven.
So we also need to be careful that our work does not eclipse our family responsibility
to meet with others in the church (Hebrews 10:25).
How we treat other believers in church will set the pattern for the way we treat other Christians at work.
" And wherever our faith works
together
with others in love,
we will validate the unique nature of the gospel ".
with others in love,
we will validate the unique nature of the gospel ".
Prayer for the day : -
Great God of Glory.
Thank You for the confidence that all who trust in Jesus have already received eternal life,
and one day will share the glories of heaven with Him.
Please forgive me when I am so focussed on today's tasks that
I cannot see the church and the rest of life in Your eternal perspective.
Please help me to understand the family nature of my life in Christ,
and enable me to express it in loving fellowship.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
=================================================
get into
the positive state of mind and achieve better quality of life.
In this article you will also find out how to use your energy effectively,
what is the quickest way to achieve personal growth and how to excel in every activity.
1st Self Improvement Activity: Use your energy on important things
If you want to succeed in life, you should not waste your energy on activities that do not bring any benefits.
Such useless activities include surfing the Internet without any purpose, watching TV, worrying and wasting money.
When you are
involved in such activities, you have no or little energy left for
activities that can create a better future.
It is worth prioritising and
accomplishing important tasks first,
and then if you still have enough
energy, you may decide to do the unimportant.
2nd Self Improvement Activity: Focus on one task at a time
If you want to
get perfect results, you should only concentrate on one activity.
This
way all your energy will go into it and you will accomplish it
perfectly.
If you waste
your energy on several things at the same time,
you will get average
results because you will divide your energy between the activities.
3rd Self Improvement Activity: Control your thinking
To avoid chaos
in your mind resulting in chaos in the outside world,
you should try to
observe your thoughts.
Once you start doing that, you will notice how
many negative thoughts you get daily.
By observing
negative thinking you will be able to emotionally disengage from it.
As a
result, negative thinking will affect you less and you will notice that
your days
are getting more peaceful and positive.
4th Self Improvement Activity: Get organised
When you live in an organised manner, you do not suffer from stress and
your life is peaceful and balanced.
To start living
this way, you should start planning your day in advance.
This will
eliminate any stress caused by being late to a meeting or forgetting to
complete some task.
You should also
live in tidiness because by keeping your home clean you also keep your
mental state clear and peaceful.
Such mental state will benefit you in
many ways, including improved memory and less negativity.
5th Self Improvement Activity: Live in the present
Although this
self improvement activity may seem strange to you, it is a very
important
activity that many ignore.
The majority of people do not live
in the present.
They either dwell on their past or daydream about the
future.
They seem to forget the most important time of all - the
present.
You should enjoy
every present moment because your current state of mind always
manifests in the outside world,
creating your future accordingly.
Therefore if
your main mood is very positive, you will experience only happy days.
However, if you dwell on negative thoughts, you are sure to encounter
many obstacles and
misfortunes in the present and days to come.
6th Self Improvement Activity: Complete each task in a perfect manner
Whenever you are
working on some project, try to accomplish it in the best way possible.
Always ask yourself 'Is this project turned out as perfect as it could
possibly be?'
If the answer is no, try to correct or add something to it
until there is nothing that you can improve.
This way you
will make sure that each single task you accomplish is done in an
excellent manner.
By doing this you will create successful future
because you cannot possibly fail if you only get perfect results.
Also, when you
entirely focus on one task excluding everything else, you will notice
that you start enjoying the task.
If you concentrate on the task but
still do not enjoy it, that means that you probably see the task
as a
means to an end rather than the process.
You should start
focusing on the process itself to find enjoyment in the task.
Such
enjoyment will fuel motivation and you will accomplish everything
quicker and better.
If you enjoy your work, you will put only positive energy into it. As a result, your completed tasks will bring you success.
7th Self Improvement Activity: Challenge yourself
Nothing develops
you more than challenges. Challenges force you to shift your comfort
zone,
experience new situations and make you grow. Without challenges
life would be very boring and depressing.
Challenges are
necessary for every human being who is seeking quality life.
Only
through trial and error you realise who you really are, which activities
you like and what preferences you have.
You can easily measure the success of a person by the amount of challenges s/he had.
8th Self Improvement Activity: Read personal development books
There is nothing
more important than searching information about self improvement.
Without reading any self improvement books or articles you cannot
improve yourself.
9th Self Improvement Activity: Socialize only with positive people
Positive people
can inspire, empower and make you happy.
It is so much worth to be at
least once in a while with positive people rather than
constantly spend
time with negative friends or relatives.
If you spend your days with, for example, lazy people, you may notice that you are becoming lazy.
If all your
friends' main qualities are negative, try to avoid all of them.
This way
you will not be affected in a negative way and after some time will
start attracting positive people.
10th Self Improvement Activity: Prayer, Bible reading and Exercise.
Last but not least Family Prayer and Bible reading really improve your life and give blessings to you in all your activities and give long life, healthy life and peaceful life.
Daily exercise
develops determination, focus and patience.
It improves your health and
strengthens your body. It makes you more active, positive and
invincible.
People who exercise every day are always perceived as strong-willed and disciplined.
Conclusion
These personal
improvement activities are sure to put you on the track to success.
I
hope that you will apply the steps in this article and, as a result,
will greatly improve the quality of your life.
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