The Blessing of Patience · Day 3
Colossians 1:9-14 — a devotion
Colossians 1
- 9이로써 우리도 듣던 날부터 너희를 위하여 기도하기를 그치지 아니하고 구하노니 너희로 하여금 모든 신령한 지혜와 총명에 하나님의 뜻을 아는 것으로 채우게 하시고For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
- 10주께 합당히 행하여 범사에 기쁘시게 하고 모든 선한 일에 열매를 맺게 하시며 하나님을 아는 것에 자라게 하시고That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,
- 11그 영광의 힘을 좇아 모든 능력으로 능하게 하시며 기쁨으로 모든 견딤과 오래 참음에 이르게 하시고Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy,
- 12우리로 하여금 빛 가운데서 성도의 기업의 부분을 얻기에 합당하게 하신 아버지께 감사하게 하시기를 원하노라Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light,
- 13그가 우리를 흑암의 권세에서 건져내사 그의 사랑의 아들의 나라로 옮기셨으니Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love,
- 14그 아들 안에서 우리가 구속 곧 죄 사함을 얻었도다In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.
KJV and World English Bible — Public Domain · 개역한글 ⓒ Korean Bible Society
Background
Colossians is a letter the apostle Paul sent from a Roman prison to the church in Colossae. Colossae was a small city in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey); Paul had never visited it himself, but the church had been planted by his coworker Epaphras. At the time, false teaching that undermined the sufficiency of Christ was spreading in the Colossian church. Verses 9-14 of chapter 1 belong to the thanksgiving and prayer at the letter's opening, where Paul, having heard news of the Colossian believers' faith, says he does not cease to pray for them. This prayer lays the foundation for the theological discussion of Christ's supremacy and sufficiency that unfolds afterward.
Reflection questions: 1. Where does my patience mainly draw its strength — from my own willpower, or from God's power? 2. As Paul prayed, what changes could the knowledge of God's will bring to my life? 3. What might it look like, concretely, in my daily life to endure with patience while keeping joy?
Today's reflection
In Colossians 1, Paul prays for the Colossian church, asking that they would carry all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness. What stands out here is that the source of patience is not human willpower but God's glorious might. Paul explains that when we are filled with the knowledge of God's will, patience follows as the result.
Theologically, this passage shows the relationship between the Spirit's power and patience. The patience Paul describes is not gritting your teeth and holding on; it is a patience carried with joy, made possible by being strengthened with God's power. This patience is also joined to giving thanks to God the Father. When we remember the grace of God who brought us into the kingdom of light, we receive strength to endure.
To sum it up, this is not a call to hold out on your own. It means that when we are filled with the strength God supplies, a patience that does not lose its joy becomes possible even in hard circumstances.
Do you feel like you are holding on by your own strength right now? Like Paul's prayer, ask to be made strong with God's might. Patience blossoms not at the limit of my ability but at the place where God's power begins.
In the app
Reading is where it starts, not where it stops.
Today's passage and devotional are yours to read here on the web. The app takes it from there — a place to write what stayed with you, receive a reflection on top of it, and watch the days add up.
A reflection arrives on what you wrote
Write what stayed with you, and a paragraph comes back — read against the passage you just finished. It does not lecture, and it does not grade you.
Your devotions gather into a record
What you write and what comes back stay on the calendar. Your streak is counted for you, and any past devotion opens again whenever you want it.
Today's verse on your lock screen
The widget puts the day's passage up each morning, so you read it once more in passing without opening anything.
160 topical series and a reading plan
Start wherever you are — 'weakness', 'waiting'. The one-year Bible reading plan, a Proverb a day, and the anonymous prayer box are all in there too.