Reading Challenge Discussion 1/13-1/19

My Fellow Sippers,

I pray that you all are still enjoying the reading challenge. This week we focused on Colossians and began the Book of James. Along with continuing this reading challenge, I started my first week of my Masters program. Although it has been challenging keeping up with the readings for school, the readings for this challenge, the Prayer Project, and hearing from the Lord during my fast (which I will discuss in another post), I am determined to finish. A song came to my mind as I wrote that last sentence and it says, "I know that I'll have a strong finish because I have strong faith!" *sigh of relief*

I know that we were to read the entire book of Colossians and begin James; however this discussion will only focus on Colossians, as I feel that our discussions can be complete once we read an entire book. I'm wondering if anyone caught on to the pattern of books that we're reading. If not, I'll break it down. We're reading ALL of the short books in the New Testament. In February we'll kick it up a notch and begin reading the longer books. Don't ask why I'm doing it this way, I'm just following the directions that the Lord gave me.
 (BTW... I frequently switch my versions but I mostly read from New Living Translation. Sometimes I'll read from New King James Version or Message.)
Here we go...

Colossians 1
Again in this book we find Paul (and Timothy) praying for their fellow brothers in Christ. For me, it is another indication that we (the body of Christ) have to constantly pray for and be thankful for our brothers and sisters. The verse that stuck out to me is verses 9-14:

⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.¹¹ We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,^{[c] 12} always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴ who purchased our freedom^[d] and forgave our sins.

Then we get down to verse 15-20 which in the NLT version is labeled as "Christ Is Supreme." This label is quite accurate and fitting for what these scriptures say. We are given an in-depth explanation of who Christ is to us. The scriptures say:

 ¹⁵ Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,^[e] 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.¹⁸ Christ is also the head of the church,which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.^[f] So he is first in everything.¹⁹ For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, ²⁰ and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Some people can belittle Christ, and even some Christians understand the concept of God but don't truly understand the depth of Christ and who He really is. I love how verse 15 says that He is the visible image of the invisible God. This means that God reigns over the Heavens and the earth, but He sent his Son, Jesus, to be the physical image (a replica, a reflection, a physical representation) of Himself. Let that marinate. He is first in EVERYTHING! Not some things, but ALL things.

Colossians 2
This chapter begins by touching on our new lives in Christ. Verses 6-7 says,

⁶ And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. ⁷ Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Then we jump down to verses 13-15 which brings light to our new life, our sinLESS life.

 ¹³ You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. ¹⁴ He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ In this way, he disarmed^[d] the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

He made all things new about us. The reBIRTH. We're born again. All of our debts (sins) are canceled. They were canceled when He (Christ) died on the cross. All is forgiven through Him. When we surrender our all to Him, our lives are made whole and new.


Verses 16-23 pretty much say that we are not to follow the rules of this world. Even within some churches and denominations there are rules and we are instructed in verses 16-23 not to fall victim to these rules. For some of these rules are merely of human desire and have no connections to the rules of Christ.

Colossians 3
Chapter 3 continues with living new in Christ, or the reBirth. We are now given instructions in verses 5-10 which state,

⁵ So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. ⁶ Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.^{[b] 7} You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. ⁸ But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. ⁹ Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. ¹⁰ Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

I don't know how much more explanation a person may need for those verses because it hit home the first time around for me.

When we get to verse 12-15, we are once again faced with being Christlike, being a reflection of Christ, being a representation of Christ.

¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

First of all, I KNOW that I struggle with verse 13. Sometimes it is extremely hard to forgive others when they have done wrong against me. Often when I find myself in those situations, I am reminded that I am forgiven daily. It is my duty...I am obligated to forgive others. No matter the seriousness or the extremity of what has been done against me I should forgive because, MY FATHER IN HEAVEN forgives me no matter the severity of my wrong against Him. Verse 14 says that we should clothe ourselves with love, meaning that love should abide within us every second, every minute, every hour, every day. Again, something else that I struggle with. It is hard to love the person that I struggle to forgive. .

Lastly verses 18-25 instructs us on how we should run our households. For all of my Godly Wives, we are instructed to SUBMIT! SUBMIT! SUBMIT! Verse 18 begins with "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord."

Colossians 4
Our final chapter in Colossians ends with encouragement for prayer and instructions from Paul. I highlighted verse 2 which says, "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." This means that when we pray our minds should be clear of all distractions. Often times when we pray, our minds are racing a million thoughts per minute. We can't focus on praying so rush through our prayer so we that we can focus on our thoughts. We need to reverse that. We need to rush through our thoughts so that we can focus on our prayer.

I will end with my highlight of verse 6 that says, "Let your conversation be gracious and attractive^[a] so that you will have the right response for everyone." Reminds me of what Psalm 19:14 says,

May the words of my mouth
    and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

What we speak should be of Christ. Our words should be of love, of kindness, of humility, of grace. When we speak, others should hear Christ in our voices. Just as we are reflections of Christ, our words are reflections of who we are.

I hope that you will continue to enjoy James this week, and we will discuss next week! In the meantime here's an updated schedule to keep you on track for the week. Please note the changes that were made. Be on the lookout for a new post soon on fasting!

January 20 - James 3-4

January 21 - James 5/ 1 Thessalonians 1

January 22 - 1 Thessalonians 2 & 3

January 23 - 1 Thessalonians 4 &5

January 24 - 2 Thessalonians 1 & 2

January 25 - 2 Thessalonians 3

January 26 - No Reading/Discussion Day on James

January 27 - Catch up on readings

January 28 - Catch up on readings

January 29 - No Reading

January 30 - No Reading

January 31 - No Reading

February 1 - Discussion Day on Thessalonians

-The King's Daughter