保罗的赞赏
歌罗西书一章3至8节
3我们感谢神、我们主耶稣基督的父，常常为你们祷告；
4因听见你们在基督耶稣里的信心，并向众圣徒的爱心，
5是为那给你们存在天上的盼望；这盼望就是你们从前在福音真理的道上所听见的。
6这福音传到你们那里，也传到普天之下，并且结果，增长，如同在你们中间，自从你们听见福音，真知道神恩惠的日子一样。
7正如你们从我们所亲爱、一同作仆人的以巴弗所学的。他为我们（有古卷：你们）作了基督忠心的执事，
8也把你们因圣灵所存的爱心告诉了我们。
信息分享
他首先为他们感谢神(3节)。让我们反省自己，是否经常为到其他信徒而感谢神？这是许多基督徒都欠缺的。
接着，他为他们祷告。保罗每天都为到许多教会和信徒的需要祷告。这对我们有何提醒呢？
然后，他称他们是有信心的。这亦可表示他们是值得信任的。基督徒能够在事奉上表现出忠心可靠，是很重要的。任何教会都需要有值得信赖的信徒参与事奉，才能有稳固的发展。
信徒满有信心，对教会也是莫大的祝福。基督教的信仰，始于个人决志相信耶稣基督和祂的话语。接着，我们仍是借着信心与祂相交，在祂里面得着永恒的保障。即使在开始的时候我们只有微弱的信心，但只要学习每天信靠主，我们对神的信心就能与日俱增。
保罗还称赞他们向众圣徒显出爱心。这称赞实在很难能可贵。去爱那些可爱和趣味相投的人并不难；但保罗在此是称赞他们爱「众圣徒」，即没有厚此薄彼的爱心。基督岂不是教导我们：「我们若彼此相爱，别人就知道我们是祂的门徒」吗？
保罗还称赞他们有盼望。基督徒与非基督徒的其中一项最大分别，就是在于基督徒有盼望。基督徒自认是人生的客旅，这世界不是他们的家；他们的盼望是在于神应许赐他们永生。信徒的信心是系于基督的十字架；而盼望则使他们看见天上的荣耀。
PAUL'S PRAISE FOR THE COLOSSIAN CHRISTIANS
Colossians 1:3-8
3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;
5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,
6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,
8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.
Message
Firstly he was thankful for them (v. 3). Stop and ask yourself. Do I give thanks for fellow Christians? The grace of gratitude too often lies undeveloped in many Christians' hearts.
Secondly, he was prayerful for them. Paul seems to have had a very long prayer list which he covered regularly. He said so to many of the churches. What does that say to us today?
Then he described them as faithful. It can mean both reliable or full of faith. To be reliable is a great asset in Christian service. If others can depend on us to do what we promise, it is a wonderful help in any church.
To be full of faith is also a tremendous blessing in a church situation. Christianity begins with personal faith in Jesus Christ and his Word. Then our relationship with him continues by faith. We are eternally secure in him. However our personal confidence, our vision of what God can do will grow as we learn day by day to put our trust in the Lord.
Paul also said they had love for all the saints. Isn't that a beautiful compliment? It is easy to love those we like or those who agree with us but Paul says they loved all saints. Do we need to underline that one word 'all'? What did Christ say? By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another.'
There are other words too that Paul used when he spoke of the Colossian Christians. One is that they had hope. This is one of the great differences between a Christian and the rest of the world. The Christian says 'This world is not my home-I'm just passing through'. Our hope is based on the promises of God and helps us take our eyes off this world and focus them on the next. Faith lays hold of the cross. Hope looks on to the glory.