Have I been leaving some people out?

The Bible encourages us to pray about all things and all people.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

My prayer times are filled to the brim with my concerns about people — the people who aren’t doing well. But look at the example — and challenge — Paul provides us in Colossians 1:1-14.

He prays for people who are doing well!

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

These people are doing great!

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints… (1:3-4)

…And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you. (1:9)

I have not been praying enough for the faithful people doing well!

These verses caused me to audit my prayer habits with fresh eyes. I realized a tendency to leave out an entire subset of people — the people who are walking wonderfully with Jesus and doing great in their spiritual lives!

What are we supposed to pray?

…asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: (1:10)

What does a life that fully pleases the Lord look like? Paul tells us!

• …bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
• being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;
• giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (1:10b-12)

Oh, to have our lives described like that!

And so, dear ones, this week I prayed these same requests for many Christ followers in my life and my blog subscribers! I prayed these things for you! May I not forget to keep this prayer habit up. As a heavenly force on earth, may we as Christ followers collectively become stronger and brighter with each passing year no matter what else is going on in our personal lives or in the world. Our journey is hard.

So as we pray, let’s also include those who are doing well.

Picture Explanation: Photos sent by daughters: a beautiful purple sky and two great dogs. 

Speaking of what it means to live a life fully pleasing to God: If you are interested in being contacted to participate in a One Gritty Blink Bible study, click on the Oaks Ministries link below and send me an email so I can place you on a list to be contacted as online and face-to-face studies are planned. Let’s not just focus on things in this short life, but also what counts for eternity!

Note: No part of my posts are derived from A.I. Thoughts and writing stem from my mind and heart as I process life week-by-week and continue to grow in my understanding of God and how to apply His wisdom to the world around me.

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