by Desiree Bustamante

Pray for churches as we are woven together by Christ’s love.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link.

“I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Colossians 2:1-3 New Living Translation

The church at Laodicea was the spiritually weakest of the seven churches in Asia Minor, yet its people boasted of their wealth, affluence and knowledge. They were blind to their true spiritual condition. Though he never met them, Paul wanted more for them. He wrote this letter to encourage them to look to Christ as their treasure and be unified in Him. He didn’t pray for them to be healthy, rich and prosperous, but that their hearts would be knit together by the love of Christ.

Being knit together in love means joined as one in Christ. The Holy Spirit unified us by placing all believers into one body, the church. A church is not united by gifts or spirituality. The bond that unites believers is a shared love for Christ. That bond knits the hearts of Christians to each other. Faith and love contribute to our ability to encourage and uplift others. The stronger our faith and the warmer our love, the greater we can comfort and encourage each other.

We may be in communion by faith, hope, and love, even with those churches and fellow Christians that we do not know. But we can pray for their souls to prosper and encourage them to draw closer to Him. No matter how near or far, we are all unified by Christ’s love and our true treasure lies in Him.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church Colorado Springs, Colorado