The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians
Chapter 2
¹. For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verse 1)
Oh God in my prayers I am also struggling in prayer for others for as a sinner I know what it is like to be a sinner and the difficulty one experiences as a sinner. Therefore I pray on behalf of all of us Amen.
². I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself, ³. in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 2 to 3)
Oh God, my Father, I pray for unity in the world, for although we are totally different from each other, we are still united as one brotherhood with You as our Father, even though not all of us acknowledge You as their God and Father, Thank You. Jesus.
⁴. I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments . ⁵ For though I am absent in body, yet I a am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for giving me the teachings of the 'Good News' and all that is written in the Bible, for it greatly helps me in my spiritual life and even in my relations with others. Amen. I pray that You continue to strengthen me in both Spirit, body and mind Amen.
⁶ As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 6 to 7)
Oh God my Father, our faith in You can be compared to a seed, that has to pass through many stages until it grows up to become a plant or tree. Therefore we can never stop receiving You or abstain from hearing about You as in the case of children who stop going for lessons after they have been through the process of confirmation. As adults oh God my Father, it is more important for us to seek a healthy relationship with You, for each day of my life my aim is to be reunited with You in Heaven Amen. I thank You, my God and Father, for each second of my life Amen.
⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 8 to 10)
Oh God, I am sorry to say that many are being led astray by a philosophy of this world, that places the human being in the centre and giving humans full control over their lives, or that is what they are led to believe by means of rational thinking and logic. However, this is an illusion for You are in control of everything that happens in our lives and only in You can we ever experience our fulfilment. Amen.
¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; ¹² when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 11 to 12)
Oh God my Father as babies, we were baptised with water and the Holy Spirit at the time of our baptism, as adults we were baptised for the second time by the power of the Holy Spirit who is still with us as You promised us. At the time of our physical baptism, You cleansed us from the stain of original, sin, however on the cross by means of Your passion, You again cleansed us of all our past present and future sins by means of Your own precious blood Amen. Thank You for loving us so much my God and Father Amen.
¹³ And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God, my Father I thank You for nailing my sins on the cross, for taking on Yourself such a harsh passion for my sake because. You really and truly love me. Amen. Although as a human and from the eyes of a human my cross appears to be hard to carry, I thank You for Your love and support Amen.
¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verse 15)
Oh God my Father, You made a spectacle of the Mighty Roman Empire by rising from the dead the penalty set for You and moreover by withstanding the torture of the horrible methods of torture as in whipping and crucifixion which the Romans were famous for applying. You made fools out of authorities such as King Herod and Pontius Pilate who although had the authority to crucify You could not find fault in You. You were legally found as being not guilty, however the fear, of a social uprising became stronger than human reasoning. Oh God, without using violence You stripped the enemy and proved the evil spirits as being losers. Amen. This is fighting without actually fighting. This is to be our means of fighting Amen, for You are our fighter our champion Amen.
¹⁶ Therfore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. ¹⁷ These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 16 to 17)
Oh God indeed we are not to condemn in each other for not fasting or observing other practices, even though this may be inappropriate, what is the most important is our relationship with You and others Amen.
¹⁸ Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, ¹⁹ and not holding fast to the head from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, growth with a growth that is from God.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 18 to 19)
Oh God my Father I thank You for this good piece of advice. Apart from our soul, if there is anything of value to us is our self-esteem. This is something that we are to allow nobody to harm, especially due to reasons such as our belief. In truth because I share my prayers with others by means of this blog I have been heavily criticised by those of my inner circles when I do mistakes such as being angry and saying things that I would apologise for having said or done. The reaction used against me is this blog and that I am to inform all about the things on which I was unjustly accused. I pray that I remain humble and accept criticism only from people who are objective and have spiritual values Amen.
²⁰ If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, ²¹ "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"? ²² All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings. ²³These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 20 to 23)
Oh God my beloved Father we are conditioned by many rules that control us for our own good and for the well-being of society. Rules such as the speed limit, alcohol consumption and many more. However if we based our life on pleasing and loving You we would never have any negative intentions of abusing the speed limit, because the law would be engraved in our hearts as an action that is not out of love, and therefore not according to Your will apart from the fact that it can also be of harm to others, on the other hand, if we apply the rule of love as in the Bible to ourselves we would not over speed or abuse the level of alcohol intake or abuse substances such as drugs, because this is not an act of love towards our well being. Therefore if we had to live a life according to Your Word, we would be grounded in self-control and we would not need other rules to condition and control our behaviour. Amen.
Oh God my Father, I would like to end the second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Colossians with the following prayer;-
Oh God my beloved Father every day of my life I am faced with the constant challenge of obedience. I find myself in situations where I am to choose, If I am to obey You absolute love and kindness or the ways of the world which are at times self-centered and egotistic. My second greatest challenge is that of achieving self-control. I pray that You help me in overcoming my natural self in order to be more like You and constantly live according to Your will Amen.
². I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself, ³. in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 2 to 3)
Oh God, my Father, I pray for unity in the world, for although we are totally different from each other, we are still united as one brotherhood with You as our Father, even though not all of us acknowledge You as their God and Father, Thank You. Jesus.
⁴. I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments . ⁵ For though I am absent in body, yet I a am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 4 to 5)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for giving me the teachings of the 'Good News' and all that is written in the Bible, for it greatly helps me in my spiritual life and even in my relations with others. Amen. I pray that You continue to strengthen me in both Spirit, body and mind Amen.
⁶ As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 6 to 7)
Oh God my Father, our faith in You can be compared to a seed, that has to pass through many stages until it grows up to become a plant or tree. Therefore we can never stop receiving You or abstain from hearing about You as in the case of children who stop going for lessons after they have been through the process of confirmation. As adults oh God my Father, it is more important for us to seek a healthy relationship with You, for each day of my life my aim is to be reunited with You in Heaven Amen. I thank You, my God and Father, for each second of my life Amen.
⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 8 to 10)
Oh God, I am sorry to say that many are being led astray by a philosophy of this world, that places the human being in the centre and giving humans full control over their lives, or that is what they are led to believe by means of rational thinking and logic. However, this is an illusion for You are in control of everything that happens in our lives and only in You can we ever experience our fulfilment. Amen.
¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; ¹² when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 11 to 12)
Oh God my Father as babies, we were baptised with water and the Holy Spirit at the time of our baptism, as adults we were baptised for the second time by the power of the Holy Spirit who is still with us as You promised us. At the time of our physical baptism, You cleansed us from the stain of original, sin, however on the cross by means of Your passion, You again cleansed us of all our past present and future sins by means of Your own precious blood Amen. Thank You for loving us so much my God and Father Amen.
¹³ And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 13 to 14)
Oh God, my Father I thank You for nailing my sins on the cross, for taking on Yourself such a harsh passion for my sake because. You really and truly love me. Amen. Although as a human and from the eyes of a human my cross appears to be hard to carry, I thank You for Your love and support Amen.
¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verse 15)
Oh God my Father, You made a spectacle of the Mighty Roman Empire by rising from the dead the penalty set for You and moreover by withstanding the torture of the horrible methods of torture as in whipping and crucifixion which the Romans were famous for applying. You made fools out of authorities such as King Herod and Pontius Pilate who although had the authority to crucify You could not find fault in You. You were legally found as being not guilty, however the fear, of a social uprising became stronger than human reasoning. Oh God, without using violence You stripped the enemy and proved the evil spirits as being losers. Amen. This is fighting without actually fighting. This is to be our means of fighting Amen, for You are our fighter our champion Amen.
¹⁶ Therfore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. ¹⁷ These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 16 to 17)
Oh God indeed we are not to condemn in each other for not fasting or observing other practices, even though this may be inappropriate, what is the most important is our relationship with You and others Amen.
¹⁸ Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, ¹⁹ and not holding fast to the head from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, growth with a growth that is from God.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 18 to 19)
Oh God my Father I thank You for this good piece of advice. Apart from our soul, if there is anything of value to us is our self-esteem. This is something that we are to allow nobody to harm, especially due to reasons such as our belief. In truth because I share my prayers with others by means of this blog I have been heavily criticised by those of my inner circles when I do mistakes such as being angry and saying things that I would apologise for having said or done. The reaction used against me is this blog and that I am to inform all about the things on which I was unjustly accused. I pray that I remain humble and accept criticism only from people who are objective and have spiritual values Amen.
²⁰ If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, ²¹ "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"? ²² All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings. ²³These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence."
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians Chapter 2 verses 20 to 23)
Oh God my beloved Father we are conditioned by many rules that control us for our own good and for the well-being of society. Rules such as the speed limit, alcohol consumption and many more. However if we based our life on pleasing and loving You we would never have any negative intentions of abusing the speed limit, because the law would be engraved in our hearts as an action that is not out of love, and therefore not according to Your will apart from the fact that it can also be of harm to others, on the other hand, if we apply the rule of love as in the Bible to ourselves we would not over speed or abuse the level of alcohol intake or abuse substances such as drugs, because this is not an act of love towards our well being. Therefore if we had to live a life according to Your Word, we would be grounded in self-control and we would not need other rules to condition and control our behaviour. Amen.
Oh God my Father, I would like to end the second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Colossians with the following prayer;-
Oh God my beloved Father every day of my life I am faced with the constant challenge of obedience. I find myself in situations where I am to choose, If I am to obey You absolute love and kindness or the ways of the world which are at times self-centered and egotistic. My second greatest challenge is that of achieving self-control. I pray that You help me in overcoming my natural self in order to be more like You and constantly live according to Your will Amen.
