“We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have to all the saints” (Colossians 1:3-4).

Three pastors were eating lunch at a local café during a weeklong conference they were attending. In the booth directly behind the pastors were seated two businessmen. While they didn’t purposefully listen to the conversation, they couldn’t help but overhear. They were so blessed. One businessman said to the other, “Randy, I want to thank you so much for inviting my family and me to come to your church. From the minute we walked in, it seemed like everyone went out their way to welcome us. Just as we walked to our car, Alexandra walked up to us and said, ‘I’m the oldest one here. I want you to know that even if you don’t come back, you’ll be loved. But we would like to have you here so we could love you in person and see you!’ I tell you, Randy, it is a blessing to be in a church that really loves each other.” With that the pastors looked at each other with a smile and a prayer that their church would have such a reputation.

For today: We have the opportunity of being a believer just like the Colossians. What a great responsibility.