‘…so that he might come to have first place in everything.’  COLOSSIANS 1:18

Since NASA first began releasing them in 2022, the pictures coming back from the James Webb space telescope have been breathtaking, showing the sheer scale and beauty of our universe. To be useful, though, the images have to be razor-sharp. So, to ensure no opportunity is ever lost, there is a constant process of recalibration going on, involving tiny adjustments to the precision-engineered lenses and instruments.

As Christians, it’s easy to lose our focus, to allow the world around us, with its…

‘It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.’  COLOSSIANS 1:28

I’ve got a five-year-old who’s currently football mad. He’s making lists of the most important pieces of kit to buy, asking, ‘Is this good food for footballers?’ before every meal, reading football encyclopaedias (yes, they do exist!), and training every morning before school with his mates. He’s making sure that his time alone in the garden kicking his ball (AKA destroying my plants) and his time playing on a team are helping to…

‘I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments.’   COLOSSIANS 2:4

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul expresses a deep pastoral concern: that believers should not be misled by teachings that sound great but are ultimately false. ‘I am saying this,’ he writes, ‘so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments’. It’s a timely warning. Then, as now, Christians face a barrage of persuasive voices – some subtle, some less so – that can distort the truth of the gospel.

Paul’s letters are full of truth about Jesus and…

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and…

“Your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Jim Finley describes how God knows each of us intimately because we are “hidden with Christ in God”: 

When God created you, God did not have to think up who you might be. God … eternally knows who you eternally are and are called to be from before the origins of the universe. 

Who God the [Creator] eternally contemplates you to be in Christ the Word is who you are before you were ever born…. There was never a point prior to which God did not eternally know you in Christ the Word through whom all…

Richard Rohr describes how we can discover our true identity in God: 

There is only one question we must definitely answer: “Who am I?” Or, restated, “Where do I abide?” If we can get that right, the rest largely takes care of itself. Paul answers the questions directly: “You are hidden with Christ in God, and Christ is your life” (Colossians 3:3–4). Every time we start judging ourselves, we can ask, “Who am I?” The answer will come: “I am hidden with Christ in God in every part of my life. I am bearing both the mystery of suffering humanity…

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the…

¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
…

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,  since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (COLOSSIANS 3:23–24)

In these verses, Paul instructs the Colossians to work in all contexts with all their heart. Our culture presents hard work as the endless grind, morning routines that start before the sun is awake, and days planned like military operations. Is that what Paul is encouraging? Are we to give…

‘Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.’
COLOSSIANS 4:6

Paul’s attempts at conversations about Jesus have landed him in chains. So you could be forgiven for wondering about his evangelistic approach, whether a combative attitude has led to his predicament. But as Paul concludes this letter from prison to the fledgling Colossian community, he appeals to them to combine a wise lifestyle with grace-laced conversation.

Seeking to communicate the gospel in our everyday places through our actions and words can…

‘You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.’  DEUTERONOMY 8:17-18 

Give Thanks in All Circumstances
Lord, I thank you for all your provision and the work you give me to do. Help me always to remember that you are the source of everything I have.

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for Yahweh your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’

Yahweh himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2025-02-28-time-r25 

¹³ Also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God.

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up.

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour:
10 if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
…

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love, 5 having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure…

¹ You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience. ³ We also all once lived among them in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when…

Made Alive in Christ

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us…

I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-18)

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2025-02-3-pauls-prayer-for-the-ephesians-part-2-experiencing-gods-love-r25 …

May you be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God

 https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2025-02-10-pauls-prayer-for-the-ephesians-part-3-live-full-lives-r25 

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. EPHESIANS 4:1–3

We’re told Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. But it doesn’t always feel that way.
 
In recent days, perhaps your patience has been tried by a family member who’s staying with you: they’ve constantly complained…

Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” 

As we seek to learn from the wisdom our anger has to teach us, Brian McLaren offers this prayer of blessing:   

May you be blessed to see in your anger, not just a danger, but an opportunity. May you be blessed to see in your anger a window into what you love. May you be blessed to see in your anger a pathway into sadness. And may your sadness sweeten your…

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice…

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2025-07-25-do-what-jesus-does-r25

Be kind and compassionate, be quick to forgive one another. (Ephesians 4:32)

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to…

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

Richard Rohr explores the apostle Paul’s teachings on “the world, the flesh, and the devil,” to clarify the often systemic and hidden nature of evil, including systems of money.  
For most of history we believed that evil was almost exclusively the result of “bad people” and that it was our job to make them into good people. We thought this alone…

‘And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.’  EPHESIANS 6:18
 

Jesus, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ – especially those who are being persecuted.

Another way that Christians have sought to pray continually is to practise the presence of God throughout their day. This means developing a joyful awareness of God’s presence in all the activities of the day and…

The king gave a banquet lasting seven days. […] The garden had hangings of linen, fastened to silver rings on marble pillars. […] There were couches of gold and silver. Served in goblets of gold, the royal wine was abundant. […] On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits, he commanded that Queen Vashti be brought before him, in order to display her beauty. But Queen Vashti refused to come.  ESTHER 1:5, 6a, 7, 11–12

Margaret Killingray from London Institute for Contemporary Christianity writes: 

The…

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?’

…

3:13 Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews – young and old, women and children – on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.

8:7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther … . …

Heavenly Father
Give us grace today to be fruitful whatever our circumstances (Egypt), particularly in the fruit of the spirit of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self Control

1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob): 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, …

Heavenly Father
Give us grace today to not be afraid (particularly if what we are afraid of could be a figment of our immagination)

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph. 
9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. 
10 Come, let’s deal wisely with them, lest they…

Heavenly Father
Give us grace today to find hope when we are afflicted. 

12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. 
They started to dread the children of Israel. 
13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve, 
14…

Heavenly Father
Give us grace today to fear you and have the courage to do what is right

15 The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah, 
16 and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, 
if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if…

Heavenly Father
Give us grace today to know when is the time to wait and not take drastic action 

1 A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife. 
2 The woman conceived and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.