Colossians 1:3 (KJV)

Passage

We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

Nearby Context

Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,

Colossians 1:2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

Colossians 1:4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,

Colossians 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "give", "thanks", "father", "lord", "jesus", "christ", "praying", and "always". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "give" and "thanks", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "To the saints and faithful brethren in..." into verse 4's "Since we heard of your faith in...", so "give" and "thanks" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "give" and "thanks" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.