Short and to the point. Most guys like things that way. Let’s get to the heart of the matter. Don’t dance around the mulberry bush. Just shoot straight. Well, the Apostle Paul is right in the wheelhouse of most guys with his letters. They are typically short, but packed with useful and important information. Chapter 4 closes out the book of Colossians and Paul has a few powerhouse points left to make…
CHAPTER 4
VS 2-4 - PRAYER - This may be one of the simplest acts that a believer can participate in, and yet at times it can feel like the hardest. In my own life, there are plenty of times that I have faced the simple task of communicating with God, and I just couldn’t (or maybe more appropriately, I wouldn’t). Prayer is not this overblown weird talk that we often hear in church. It’s just a simple conversation with God about your heart, your dreams, your desires, your failures, etc. I know that it’s a completely natural way of talking, it’s just that the conversation is with God, not your neighbor across the street. And yet, even with that understanding, prayer can be a battle. I think the enemy really leans on us hard when it comes to prayer because prayer is the vital link between us and the Father. We’re simply not the same without it. That’s why Paul urges us to “devote” ourselves to prayer. And he even has the nerve to tell us to do it with an “alert mind”. That’s almost not fair is it? How many times have you fallen asleep while trying to pray? How many times has my mind wandered through everything on my “To Do” list while I’m trying to pray? Prayer is simple, but it is also a battle. And it’s a battle we must win.
VS 5-6 - I had someone send me an email this morning with these verses because they felt like this was a strength in our church. I am blessed beyond mere words to receive that. But this is so, so, so important. We can never allow ourselves to become lazy with this. Part of our mission (and every church’s mission) is to reach the lost and the hurting. To be a place of love and acceptance to those who need a touch from the Father. So Paul tells us to be wise about this. We need to be intentional. This doesn’t happen by accident. It is most definitely NOT haphazard. We have to make the effort to connect to those around us in ways that communicates the love and heart of Jesus Christ. And to get in our Bibles so that we are prepared with helpful answers when questions are asked. The church that commits itself to these principles will be a church that impacts the world around them.
VS 17 - Almost as an afterthought, Paul adds this line of scripture, “say to Archippus, ‘Be sure to carry out the work the Lord gave you.’” What a powerful piece of advice. There have been far too many believers that have felt God moving in their lives and then gave up on the work when it got hard or took to long. I understand that dilemma. I am a man of action. I like things to happen now. In my younger life, I was too quick to “move on to the next thing”. I have no doubt left things of God undone while I looked for something else. Age and maturity have tempered that, but it hasn’t gone completely away. That’s why we have to be reminded to finish what God gave us to do. FINISH…COMPLETE…ACCOMPLISH. These word do not apply at the half-way mark or even at the 90% mark. We need to stay with the task until it is done. And one way we do that is to stay committed to prayer as Paul challenged us to do in verse 2.
How about it? Got any unfinished business? Are you struggling with prayer? Are you in the Word so that you can provide answers and direction to those who need to hear from God through your life?
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