He Thanked God From a Prison Cell

How do you know what's true? In a world drowning in information, misinformation, news, fake news, and algorithms feeding us exactly what we want to hear — that question has only gotten louder. And in Day 7 of our Colossians devotional series, we discover that Paul answers it in a surprising way: not with an argument, but with a prayer.Even more surprising? He's writing from a prison cell.In this devotional, we explore:→ Why the ancient question "What do I trust?" is more relevant than ever in 2026 → How Paul opens not with a debate, but with gratitude — from inside a first-century prison → The critical difference between thanking God FOR prison and thanking God IN prison → How Paul trained his heart to notice what God is doing even when life is hard → Dallas Willard's powerful insight: "Grace is not opposed to effort, but it is opposed to earning" → Why gratitude is a discipline we practice consistently — not just once a year at Thanksgiving → The "hedonic treadmill" — why the promotion, the house, the recognition, the next milestone never satisfy for long → Why we can't fill the God-shaped vacuum in our hearts with anything but God → How a faith anchored in the hope "stored up in heaven" changes everythingKey takeaway: "We are not to depend on our circumstances to bring us the lasting joy we were designed to enjoy. We can cultivate gratitude even in hard moments — and that leads to peace."This devotional is a practical, encouraging challenge to notice what you're noticing — and to retrain your heart toward gratitude and thanksgiving, no matter what your circumstances look like.📖 Scripture Focus: Colossians 1:3-5 🎯 Series: Colossians Chapter 1 Devotional ⏮️ Catch up on Parts 1-6 if you're just joining us! ⏭️ Coming Tomorrow: We continue unpacking Paul's prayer of faith, love, and hopeSubscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss a single verse in this rich chapter. If this teaching encouraged you, share it with someone who needs to be reminded that gratitude is possible — even in hard seasons.💬 Drop a comment below: What's one thing you're grateful for today? Name it and let's encourage each other!#Colossians #BibleStudy #Devotional #Christian #ApostlePaul #Gratitude #Thanksgiving #DallasWillard #Jesus #NewTestament #DailyDevotional #Colossians1 #Hope