Written ~ 10-09-2024
Read Colossians Chapter Four
Colossians Four
For today’s Bible Study we will jump back just a few verses, Colossians 3:18-25 continues its thoughts through verse 4:1, so we’ll begin our study with those remaining verses from chapter 3.
Colossians 3:18-4:1…
3:18 “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.
20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. 25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.
4:1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master – in heaven.”
This entire passage is very similar to the passage found in Ephesians 5:21-6:9, though much briefer. It is a wonderful reminder of how we are to treat one another and represent Christ in each of our different relationships. Whether you are a wife, a husband, a dad or mom, a son or daughter, an employee, or employer, we are to submit our hearts to the Lord and everything we do or say must represent Him.
(For further study on the Ephesian’s passages, please see the Bible Studies written on Ephesians 5 and on Ephesians 6 – My website: godswordneverfails.com – go to the menu under “Bible Study and Journaling”)
Chapter four of Colossians has the final statements from Paul to the believers in Colosse. Verses 4:7-18 note several of the men who have worked closely with Paul, and he gives his thanks to each of them. Plus, he sends their greetings to the Colossian church as well as his own personal greeting in his own handwriting (vs.4:18).
We are going to look at verses 4:2-6 with more detail rather than spend time on the greetings from Paul (you can read the rest of the chapter and gain encouragement from Paul’s words). We have a wealth of information in the five verses we are going to dive into…
Colossians 4:2-4…
2 “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.
All right… let’s look at the key points made in these verses…
- Devote yourself in prayer
- Pray with an alert mind
- Pray with a thankful heart
- Pray for other believers
- Pray for opportunities to speak about Christ
- Pray for those who proclaim the Gospel message
In the New King James Version (NKJV) verse 4:2 says this, “…Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving…” In these two translations the words devote, earnest and vigilant are used to describe what our prayer life should look like. Let’s look at these words a little more closely…
DEVOTE ~ definition – to commit by a solemn act…
Synonyms…
- allocate
- consecrate
- dedicate
- earmark
- reserve
- save
When we look at the word “devote” regarding our prayer life, we must set aside time for prayer, we must have a dedicated time when we pray for others and lift our own requests to the Father. Yes, I agree that we can have a prayerful heart all day long… but we must also have a devoted time to pray for others, to pray specifically for opportunities to spread the Gospel message, to pray for the right words to speak in response to the non-believer’s questions. This is the allocated time when we can write these requests in a journal with the date and time, then as those requests are being answered you can mark it with another date and time. That way we can see how the Lord is handling our prayers. Think about the synonym “reserve.” It makes me think of when we want to have dinner at a nice restaurant that requires reservations… we set a time that we can devote ourselves to that meal. Same way with this type of prayer life, some prayers require us to have zero distractions, and complete devotion to what we need to ask of God.
Let’s look at the next word used in verse 4:2…
EARNEST ~ definition – characterized by an intense and serious state of mind…
Synonyms…
- grave
- humorless
- no-nonsense
- sedate
- serious
- severe
- sober
- solemn
- weighty
These prayers are of a serious nature, these are the types of prayers where we are seeking Salvation for the lost, these are the prayers that are for the wayward child, these are the prayers for those afflicted with disease both mental or physical, these are the prayers that require the Lord’s Army to fight on our behalf. This is not the type of prayer where we are asking the Lord for a good parking spot in a crowded lot, this is not the prayer for no traffic on the freeway and this is not the prayer for thanking God for the food we are about to eat… though all those prayers are sometimes necessary and important in the moment. Earnest prayers are for those things that require the Hand of God to move in a miraculous way.
Next, let’s look at the word…
VIGILANT ~ definition – quite simply it is to be watchful…
Synonyms…
- alert
- attentive
- awake
- observant
- open-eyed
- wide-awake
We are to pay attention to our surroundings, we are to pay attention to the needs of others, our hearts should be ready to pray for the Gospel message to be spread with increased opportunity. When we are observant to the needs of others, we can take those needs to the Father. When we are alerted to the fact that a loved one has fallen away from the Lord, our prayer needs to be weighty and our hearts wide awake to the seriousness of those who have fallen away or for those whose souls are completely lost.
Paul is asking us to have dedicated, serious, and attentive prayers. And we are to have a thankful heart. When we give thanks to the Father, even if we don’t get the answer we expected, a thankful heart shows we know God is in control of all our circumstances, He knows the hearts of every person we pray for, and we understand that God knows the plans He has for our lives. Be thankful. God knows what He is doing.
Colossians 4:5-6…
5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”
Ok, now let’s look at the key points given to us in these verses…
- Live wisely among non-believers
- Let your conversations be gracious
- Let your conversations be attractive
- Pray that you will have the right response for everyone
Do you act differently when you’re with other believers? Do you seem a little bit more confident? Are your conversations easier? Does your joy explode because you are united in Christ? Shouldn’t that be the same way you act when you are with a non-believer? Shouldn’t your confidence be just as great, and your conversations easily touch on how Jesus has changed your heart? Shouldn’t your joy be just as exuberant?
When verse 4:5 starts out with, “…live wisely among those who are not believers…” What does that make you think of?
I can think of two examples that do not show wisdom…
#1. When hanging out with non-believers (whether they are friends or family members), what if you decided to brag about how many days a week you go to Church, or how much money you donate to worthy causes, and your words become “holier than thou” in tone. Maybe you’ve even become a little “preachy or judgy.” What if you carry the largest Bible you can find just for show? What if you wear a gigantic gold cross around your neck because you are convinced that will show how devout a Christian you are? Would your family or friends take you seriously? Come on…
#2. What if your non-believing family members or friends wanted you to get into some trouble with them, or go out drinking and partying? Or what if they start telling dirty stories and use foul language to describe every detail? What happens if you just go along with it, just so you won’t offend them? What if you put your love for Jesus in your “back pocket” for the time being so you can share in their antics?
Neither of those scenarios express “living wisely among those who are not believers.”
Why not just be truthful? What about showing your true self as a new creation through the Salvation you found in Jesus Christ, your life is changed, and you are living for Him. Why not show your vulnerabilities, show your mistakes? Show them by how you live, that you are conquering your “demons” because Jesus now lives within you. Your heart, mind and soul have been renewed.
As believers, we need to meet others where they’re at, help them see through their circumstances that there is a different way to go through life. It’s possible, some of their circumstances may never change, but the way they deal with them and how they respond to those situations will change.
Non-believers may have questions you don’t know how to answer, they may have ideas that you don’t agree with. It’s important we hear them out, address their concerns but not become defensive with angry intent. Instead, search for those answers in the Word of God.
Colossians 4:6b…
“…you will have the right response for everyone…”
If we are confronted with tough questions, don’t try to reason with halfhearted answers. Be truthful, if you don’t know how to respond, let them know. But always speak from the truth that Jesus has placed in your heart. Use examples from your own life, be real. Being perfect, having answers to every single question just isn’t realistic. First off, none of us are perfect, far from it, and it’s better to let your friend or family member know that you need to take some time to think about the questions they have asked, and you’ll need to get back to them.
Using wisdom in your conversations, being gracious, being real, will hopefully help the non-believing family member or friend realize you aren’t judging them, you aren’t trying to make them feel stupid or inadequate. No, by our love, our actions and the words coming from a grateful heart will hopefully convey the love of the LORD.
Colossians 4:5b…
“…make the most of every opportunity…”
Consider the attention span of the person you are speaking with, don’t go off on a lengthy, doctrine loaded speech that loses their attention! No, come to them right where they are, humble your heart, be bold, but use gentle firmness when speaking about the things of Christ. Let them know you are serious, that loving the Lord and living your life by following the Word of God is all worth it! But don’t overwhelm a questioning, searching soul.
My prayer is that I would be reminded of these verses. I want my life to always shine the light of Jesus, no matter who I am hanging out with. I live for Christ! My actions, my words should always communicate His Love. Thank You Father for giving me a grateful heart. Thank You for being right there beside me when confronted with difficult questions. Thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit so I can tap into the knowledge of Heaven. Give me wisdom, give me understanding, have my witness shine for You.
~AMEN~