“Having heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints…”

Paul gives thanks to the Lord and prays for these true believes, because he has heard about their faith in the Lord Jesus and that they love each other as well. Paul knows how they are trusting in Christ and leaning upon Him for protection and rescue and have committed their souls to Him for salvation and heaven. Perhaps he has had conversations with Epaphrus and has had discussions about the church and the difficulties it faces as a body of believers.  Epaphrus was a spiritually minded brother, who also ended up in prison like the Apostle Paul. Paul is writing to encourage them all in the Lord Jesus their Saviour and to help them to have full confidence in Him alone. 

This love is the mark of the true Christian, and it is the seal that will keep the Christian in the love of God right to the very end of their lives and the end of the era. Many make the claim to be Christians in our time but this mark of the Spirit in not in their lives. Many claim to be Christians and have no feeling for other people, not even the people of God. This should not be. We can boast of our faith and can boast of our great works for God, but if there is no love for other believers, and love for those without a Saviour, we have not the love of God in our hearts and minds. 

“I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a number, one hundred forty-four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.”

Revelation 14:1

Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit and kept safe until that great day of the marriage supper of the Lamb. We exhibit the fruits of the Holy Spirit who indwells the lives of the people of God and the greatest of these is Love. 

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God.”

1 John 4:7

“I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:”

Revelation 7:4

We do not love in word only but in deeds and acts of kindness and support for each other. To neglect each other is to not love, and we are not made perfect in love. These saints in Colosse were not like at, but prayed, sympathised with and served each other, as they saw need.