Hope – Three Minute Bible

April 21, 2025April 21, 2025

Colossians 4:12 – Epaphras’s Prayer

Picture of the jailer in Acts 16 who is asking Paul, "What must I do to be saved?"

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

Summary: Epaphras’s prayer is a wonderful model of what to pray for ourselves and each other.

In this passage, we learn a bit more about Epaphras.* Paul says he is “one of you” which I take to mean he is originally from Colossae. Somewhere along the line, Epaphras must have met up with Paul because Paul explains that Epaphras brought the Gospel to Colossae “on our behalf.”

February 13, 2025February 13, 2025

Colossians 3:8e – Doom Loop

Hand holding a lighted wooden match with a dark woods in the background.

[… rid yourselves of] … slander …

Summary: By following each step in Paul’s thinking, we discover that he has something very specific in mind.

Let’s go back and review the whole verse so far:

“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander …”

Paul is painting a portrait of a slave to SELF. When we put our self-interest above God and others, we will always find things that offend us. The rest of the world is only interested in pleasing themselves, so since my SELF is most important (to me), it is very irritating when other people do not share my concern for my own happiness.

June 12, 2024June 12, 2024

Galatians 5:5 – Waiting in Faith and Hope

For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.

Summary: Once again Paul points us to the truth that there are reasons we wait, have faith, and hope.

March 13, 2023March 14, 2023

Ephesians 1:18c – A Different Kind of Hope

… in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you …

Summary: Language takes on a new dimension when we begin to see things from a spiritual perspective. The word “hope” is no exception.

January 1, 2023January 1, 2023

Proverbs 27:25-26 – Happy New Year!

When the hay is removed and new growth appears
     and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
the lambs will provide you with clothing,
     and the goats with the price of a field.

Summary: There are bad times and then there are really bad times.

January 27, 2020January 27, 2020

Affirmation Monday – In God We Trust

Enlarged photo of a penny showing the words, "In God We Trust."

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit

— Romans 15:13

If you look at any United States coin, written on the front are the words, “In God We Trust.” Over the years I have come to marvel at the implications of what it means to trust in God.

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he ties together trust, hope, joy, and peace. All this is by the power of the Holy Spirit. Without God, we do not have access to that power.

So what? So what if we don’t have trust?