Seeds for 04/05/2023 - Colossians 4:4

Scripture: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 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. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 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.

Observation: Over my time as a Christian and a preacher, I’ve developed a basic theology about the Christian life and it is this: The Christian life is a participation with the grace of God in Christ. As I’ve written weekday reflections since the beginning of the year on this little letter from Paul, that bedrock belief has become more and more clear to me. Here I see it in Paul’s prayer requests from yesterday and today.

There’s a an interplay between what God alone can do and what God calls, equips, and expects us to do. Paul desires the Colossians’ prayers for both. Yesterday we saw Paul’s need for God to “open a door” and make a way for his ministry to continue. Paul knew this to be something that God alone had the wisdom to determine or the power to accomplish. Or both. So he asked for prayer.

Today we see that Paul’s concern doesn’t end once God provides a way. Paul also sees that he needs God’s help to do his part too—“that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” There’s a mystery here. God has called Paul to a ministry of proclamation. Further, God has gifted and equipped him for this work—both before and after his calling (one might even say, “commandeering”) experience on the Damascus road. And at the same time, Paul sees a need for power beyond himself to help him summon his very best effort so that he can be faithful to the ministry God has given him.

Paul knows that even though it belongs to him to do the work well, to “proclaim it clearly, as I should,” it is also true that he needs God’s grace in order to summon his very best in the service of God.

Is this circular? Yes, I think so. The Christian life is a participation with the grace of God in Christ. Paul asks the Colossian church to pray for what God alone can do—open doors, and to help him do faithfully what he is called to do—walk through them.

Application:

• Where do you find yourself, like Paul, seeking for God to do His part and to help you do your part?

• What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?

Prayer: Lord, help me see where I need what only you can do, and where I need help doing what I am called to do. Then, turn my heart to prayer. Amen.

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“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)

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