On Colossians 4

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." (v. 2)

I find it interesting that Paul said to be watchful and thankful in our praying. I find it easy to be thankful when I pray, but what does it mean to be watchful in prayer? I gather that it means to be observant in our daily lives and look for things to pray for and opportunities to pray.

Paul goes on in the same section: "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (vv. 5 - 6)

We are to be watchful when we are around others - making the most of every opportunity. This is the hard part for me. When I am around people who don't share my faith, I tend to be less careful about what I say. It is easier to gossip or speak rudely when I am around people who speak the same way (that's not to say the non-believers are rude, but that they don't judge that kind of speech the way believers do). I guess that's the root of it. Christians tend to be very judgmental (myself included) about the things people say, especially non-believers. Is that being full of grace? No. Our conversation is to be seasoned with salt. Salt is a preservative and adds flavour and taste to dishes. Our conversation should be wholesome, enjoyable and leaving a pleasant taste in the mouths of the listeners (so to speak!). People will not be drawn to Christ if we speak rudely or act judgmental towards them. We need to pray for opportunities to draw people to Christ and ask God to give us the words to say that will be "salty" for the listener.

Colossians 2 and 3 - Freedom from Regulations

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross." (vv. 13 - 14)

When we receive Christ's salvation, we are no longer under the law. We are completely free in Christ. We do not need to submit to the power and authority of the law, we submit to the power and authority of Christ in God. Does this mean we can do whatever we want? By no means. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12 "Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me - but I will not be mastered by anything." So in our freedom, we need to make sure we don't give mastery of ourselves over to any earthly thing. We also need to refrain from things that would lead others into sin or that would not be beneficial to us or to others.

Paul continues in Colossians 3 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things... Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry... You must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." (vv. 1-2, 5-6, 8-10)

So we are free from the law, but we still need to rid ourselves of things that belong to the earthly nature and that do not glorify God.

More On Colossians 2

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (v. 8)

It is so easy to fall into the world's philosophy. A lot of things sound right, but they're not. Fairness is a big thing that comes to mind, especially as a former teacher and as a parent. The world wants things to be fair. You work, you get paid. If someone has something, then you should have it too. Your brother gets to do this, so you should get to do it too. Sounds reasonable, but is it based on Christ's principles? Jesus promised us we would be persecuted for our faith. Is that fair? No, but it is reality. I have to remind myself and my boys (though they're pretty young to grasp this yet) that life isn't fair. People will do things that are not right, and they will still get rewards. People will take things from you and get away with it. It is so hard to raise children with godly principles when the world's philosophy is so much different. Take what you can get. You have the RIGHT to... Rights and fairness are not part of God's vocabulary. We are to surrender ourselves to God's will and allow Him to take care of the results. I like the wording "see to it that no one takes you CAPTIVE". When we buy into the world's thinking, we are captive prisoners to it. I have to be so careful to spend time in God's Word so I know what is true and right, not what sounds true and right according to the world. I pray that God will reveal that truth to my boys as well, and that they won't be disheartened when the world doesn't follow God's truth as they do. I pray they will choose to follow God and His leading and that they would know the Word and follow it even when no one else it.

On Colossians 2 and the Christian Walk

Wow, it's been way too long since my last post. I have to admit my devotional time has been minimal the past few weeks. It's too easy to find other things to do rather than spend time in God's Word, but I know that it is infinitely more beneficial to me to read the Bible (I just have to sit down and do it!). I have been spending time in prayer each morning before I start the day, and I am finding that amazing! It's been about a month now since I started dong that. Before that, I would just kind of pray whenever I had time (and that was not often). I need to be deliberate about my prayer life, and make sure I give God the first part of my day.

Anyway, here goes with my devotional time...

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." (vv. 6 - 7)

Again, Paul tells us how to live the Christian life. We need to continue on in the Lord - something accomplished through reading God's word and spending time in prayer (I need to remember that!). We need to continue building on the foundation of our salvation, not just remain where we were when we first received Jesus as Savior.

I have become complacent, like the church in Laodicea that Paul refers to in verse 1. In Revelation 3, John writes to the churches. To the church in Laodicea, God says, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth... I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see." (vv. 15 - 18) This church had become lukewarm. When God talks about buying gold, wearing white clothes and buying salve, He is talking about salvation. I know I am already saved and God will never "spit me out of His mouth", but I also know that He is disappointed when I do not live wholeheartedly for Him.

I am challenged by Colossians to live fully for God. I want my sons to see Christ in me and to see how important my relationship with God is to me. I regret that it probably hasn't seemed all that important from what they have seen of me lately. I do repent of that and trust that God will help me to make time to spend with Him, and that He will cause my boys to see that and be drawn to Him as well.