I love this short letter Paul wrote to the church of Colosse. Through the years I have memorized many verses of it. As a police and hospital chaplain, I’ve spoken, written, and prayed verses from Colossians to many, bringing hope and strength as they face life’s difficulties. In my own Bible, the Colossians pages are marked with my underlining, circling, and highlighting of the verses that have helped me over the years.

Paul never visited Colosse, once a leading city which eventually deteriorated into unimportance (it would have been located in the southwest corner of what we know today as Turkey). Yet God spoke through Paul in this powerful letter to the church there. From his imprisonment in Rome, Paul addressed the integrity of the gospel. A false teaching had developed, one which if not confronted, threatened to compromise and destroy the gospel message altogether.

The Bible’s integrity is still challenged today. In the book of Colossians we find a treasure of truth for proving the supremacy of Christ over human philosophy.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dick Johnson

Back in the 1960s, Dick and Linda Johnson officially began their ministry in radio broadcasting with Far East Broadcasting Company on Okinawa. There he worked closely with our U.S. military chaplains, laying a foundation for chaplaincy. Pastoral and hospital chaplain ministry took the Johnsons to Illinois and Iowa. Dick also has been a law enforcement personnel chaplain wherever God has led them, including now in the Santa Cruz, California, area. Dick has authored over 30 Anchors, and always carries copies with him to pass along and give encouragement to others. They have three grown sons and two granddaughters living in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Texas.