|
1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven. 2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4.1-6).[1] How we treat each other is important, Paul is speaking to masters about how they treat their slaves, but we can learn from this. How are we treating those who work for us? Are we doing what is right and fair? Or are we taking advantage of the them because they are under us and we can? We might say I do not have anyone working for me, but what about a brother or sister who is younger, do we take advantage of them? Do this; get that; I am older; because I said so; and so on. We all know no matter what situation we are in must remember we have a Master look at us, He is in Heaven, and He will not be happy if we are treating others this way.
As we have been devoted to changing our attitudes and taking hold of some new attributes in our lives, we now need to round out our lives with the attitude of prayer. This is not just any type of prayer, but prayer which will cause us to be watchful and thankful for what God has done in our lives. It is a kind of prayer which will cause us to pray for others, interceding on their behalf, so, they may continue doing whatever God has called them to do. There are many ways with which we can come before our Lord and Savior in prayer. It is most important however, that we just spend time alone with Him. We need to remember prayer is nothing more than personal communication between us and our Heavenly Father. It is like you talking to your best friend about your favorite topic. We just need to spend time with our Heavenly Father, it is through this time of prayer, where God can reveal many things to us, showing us how He wants us to move or proceed in our own life for Him. Jesus Christ in Matthew left us a great model to follow when spending time with the Father. Some call it the ‘Lord’s Prayer’, we will call it the ‘Model Prayer of Jesus Christ.’ Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6.9-13, ESV).[2] Within this prayer we can find a basic structure of how we ought to pray. We should begin by giving God Adoration for Who He is— “Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Your kingdom come; Your Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Next Confession— “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” We should bring to light any and all of our unrighteousness before God. Yes, He already knows but it is good for us to know and for us to let God know we know, and see Him lay waste remembering them no more (Psalm 32, 66.18, 69.5, 103,12, 139; I John 1.9). Then Thanksgiving— “Give us this day our daily bread,” We should always be thankful for all God has given us, even for the little things. Each and every day, God is doing something in our lives. When we get a homework paper back or test score with a B praise the Lord, it could have been a B- or a C. We know we all want A’s but if we are not putting the work in what else can we expect. Thankfulness, is necessary because it allows us to reflect back on the day’s activities and recognize what God is doing within our life. Too many times we go day in and day out without saying thank You to our Lord and Savior for what He is doing in and through us. So, be thankful. Finally, Supplication or Intersession-- “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We need to not only pray for out own needs, but for the needs and wants of others. When we look at the passage in Colossians, Paul asked the church to pray for Him, that God would open doors for the ministry, and so he could proclaim God’s message clearly. He did not ask to be freed or for a better life, but to be the best witness possible. We must remember when we pray, we are to pray in the will of God, so what is the will of God? This is a great question, and one which can be answered when we are spending time in His Word, and in prayer with Him. His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, will reveal His will to us so we will be in tune with Him and begin to ask accordingly. God’s main will in our lives is for us to spread His message of repentance and grace and mercy given by His Son on the Cross. This is what Paul was about and it is what we should be about every day. Paul concludes this passage with these words, “Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person (Colossians 4.5-6, CSB).[3] Instructing us in our conduct toward others, calling us to live out a Christian lifestyle so the world will know we are God’s children. Not just by our talk, but also by our walk, our actions, and how we respond to situations. We are to be ready to give an answer for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and this can only be done when it is placed within our hearts and minds each and every day. Application
Prayer Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights.[4] Praise the Lord in all His glory. Lord, You are worthy of all praise. I come before You today seeking Your forgiveness asking You to cleanse my heart from all unrighteousness and to set my feet upon Your righteous path. Lord, I know if I regard iniquity in my heart You will not hear me, so please cleanse me and place a renewed heart within me. Lord I thank You for this day, and the opportunities You are going to give me to serve You. Lord, give me the boldness to say the right things and to speak Your message at all times. Help me to be a witness and to show Your love to everyone. Lord please continue to bless our pastor and his wife as they serve You and Your church. Help us to serve our community faithfully as we continue to spread Your gospel message. I pray all these things in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen. [1] The New International Version. (2011). (Col 4:1–6). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. [2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 6:9–13). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [3] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Col 4:5–6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers. [4] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ps 148:1). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Author
|