By Kevin Harris, pastor of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Wollongong, NSW
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
Colossians 4:12
As Epaphras prayed for his church family, there was one request the Apostle Paul heard him make repeatedly.
What was that request?
‘Lord, take away their pains and heal all their ailments’? No, that wasn’t his prayer request.
‘Lord, make them prosperous, happy and comfortable’? Not that either.
Rather it went something like this: ‘Lord, mature them into all that You want them to be.’
To ‘stand perfect and complete’ is to fill up and complete. That last word was used of cramming a fishing net full. I think of trying to get as much petrol into the tank as possible.
This is the goal. Rather than get by with as little as possible, our Lord wants us to get as much of Christlikeness as possible, and as much of God’s blessings as possible.
Father, help me, my loved ones, and my church family to be all You want us to be. Help us to enjoy all Your love, all Your joy, all Your peace that You are willing to give us. Help us to enjoy a deep and precious communion with You, filling our days with Your presence. By filling us with Your Spirit, please give us more of Your power. And make us holier and Godlier than we are now. Lord, mature us into all that You want us to be. I ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
This article was written by Kevin Harris Dapto pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church.