I found this in my desk as I was cleaning. Some thoughts to ponder:
"God wants His beloved children to know His commands and purposes, to obey Him, to enjoy a fruitful life, to know Him better day by day, to be strong and joyful, and to be overflowing with gratitude for their salvation." - Henry Blackaby
Colossians 1:9-14
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[a] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
1. How do you want others to pray for you?
2. To what extent are you willing to ask others to pray for you? To what extent are you willing to be vulnerable in expressing your weaknesses, flaws, failures, needs, or sins to another person?
3. Are you comfortable or uneasy when others note your good deeds or character traits as part of their prayers for you?
4. Do you ever feel challenged to "live up to" or to "manifest" to a greater extent what others prayed for you?
5. Do you feel free to pray for others? What holds you back? In what ways do you feel limited in your ability to pray effectively for other people? What might you do to grow in your willingness or ability to pray for others?
Perhaps one of the most powerful witnesses we can make for Christ is to pour out our thanksgiving to God in appropriate verbal ways -- to regularly express our reliance upon God and gratefulness for His work in our lives. In what ways might you incorporate more expressions of thanksgiving into your daily conversations?
(Taken from Encounters with God: Colossians/Philemon)
