COLOSSIANS 4:12
12. Epaphras, who is one of yourselves, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always striving for you earnestly in his prayers, pleading that you may as persons of ripe character and clear conviction stand firm and mature in spiritual growth, convinced and fully assured in everything willed by God. Amp.
DEFINITIONS
Character -d) one’s pattern or behavior.
Ripe -d) fully or highly developed; ready to be harvested; fully prepared; sufficiently advanced ready for use; mature.
Conviction -d) a strong belief.
Mature -d) fully developed, perfected.
This is a good example of prayer for the body of Christ. I know I focus on the person’s safety, which of course is very important. But it is not all that is important. We must have a character that is mature and ripe. If we are ripe, we are ready to be used.
To be mature is all of these things together. We are to have a strong belief and to be perfect and ready. The Lord is always watching who we are becoming. We need to be more like Him. It is only that we find perfection in His perfection.
PSALM 106:8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake to prove the righteousness of the divine character, that He might make His mighty power to be known.
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