1. I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Our brother Timothy joins me in writing.
2. We are sending this letter to you, our brothers and sisters in Colosse. You belong to Christ. You are holy and faithful. May God our Father give you grace and peace.
3. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.
4. We thank him because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus. We have also heard that you love all of God's people.
5. Your faith and love are based on the hope you have. What you hope for is stored up for you in heaven. You have already heard about it. You were told about it when the message of truth was given to you. I'm talking about the good news
6. that has come to you. All over the world the good news is bearing fruit and growing. It has been doing that among you since the day you heard it. That is when you understood God's grace in all its truth.
7. You learned the good news from Epaphras. He is dear to us. He serves Christ together with us. He faithfully works for Christ and for us among you.
8. He also told us about your love that comes from the Holy Spirit.
9. That's why we have not stopped praying for you. We have been praying for you since the day we heard about you. We have been asking God to fill you with the knowledge of what he wants. We pray that he will give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.
10. We pray that you will lead a life that is worthy of the Lord. We pray that you will please him in every way. So we want you to bear fruit in every good thing you do. We want you to grow to know God better.
11. We want you to be very strong, in keeping with his glorious power. We want you to be patient. Never give up. Be joyful
12. as you give thanks to the Father. He has made you fit to share with all his people. You will all receive a share in the kingdom of light.