NOV 1
Colossians 1:29
Memorise Philippians 4:13
“…labour, striving…”

Paul concludes the first chapter of Colossians with these words: “Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.” Four different Greek words are used in this sentence to describe the idea of labour and strength. The word “labour” in Greek has the sense of working till the point of fatigue. The word for “striving” is “agonizomai” which has the sense of wrestling or struggling in order to obtain a prize. The words “working” and “worketh” in Greek is where we get the word energy. The word “mightily” is “dunamis” which refers to miraculous power and which is where we get the word dynamite. Paul is not boasting here of how strong he is, but rather he is attesting through his own testimony that he too is working hard to fulfill the instructions he gave them in the previous verse. Paul did not just take care of one church but oversaw many churches, including this one which he himself never visited (Colossians 2:1). To each of them he laboured to warn (Colossians 2) and teach (Colossians 3) because he wanted to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus”. He was willing to work to the point of fatigue because he knew that he was striving towards God’s will. He did so because he was confident that God would give him the strength and grace to complete the tasks well.

Dear teen, may you thank God for every faithful full-time servant of the Lord in your church, as they set an example for us all in labouring for Christ and trusting Him to provide. Any time you are given a task for the Lord, before you start to worry about your busyness or lament about your time constraints, think of these full-time workers who single-mindedly labour long hours without rest or holidays to fulfill the never-ending list of tasks that keep coming. I myself have been rebuked in the writing of these devotional readings on Colossians, for I tend to look at the enormity of writing three months’ worth of readings and think of my own fatigue, rather than pray and trust God to provide strength. When you complain and snap at others for not understanding how hard you are working, you are literally telling everyone it all depends on you rather than God. May we look upon all who are labouring for the Lord as an example and encouragement to us, that we too will strive to do all we can for the glory of God!

Thought: Should I be doing more for the Lord and complaining less?

Prayer: May I labour and strive to do Thy will, trusting Thee to provide all I need.