April 20, 2023 | Be On Mission
Godly Households and Prayer
Scripture: Colossians 3:18-4:18 (NIV)
18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
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.
7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Devotional
Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians while he was imprisoned in Rome. Though he had never been to Colossae, he had a common connection with them through relationships.
First, they were connected through a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Throughout this epistle Paul writes about the supremacy of Christ and His triumphant work on the cross.
In this concluding section, he also addressed human relationships, which all people have in common. In the Roman culture of that day, unlimited power was given in most relationships: husbands over wives, fathers over children, masters over slaves, etc. Paul’s admonishments to those in the position of power were radical for their day: Husbands, do not be harsh with your wives. Fathers, do not embitter your children. Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair. In the years and centuries to come, Christians would continue on the trajectory to a more level playing field in relationships.
Finally, Paul connected with the Colossians through common friends.
Tychicus traveled with Paul (Acts 20:4) and was sent by Paul to places like Colossae (Colossians 4:7), Ephesus (Ephesians 6:21) and Crete (Titus 3:12). In tomorrow’s passage, we will read about Onesimus, a runaway Christian slave who became a Christian through Paul in Rome. Paul was sending him back to Philemon, his Christian master in Colossae. In both the letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, Paul mentioned Timothy, Onesimus, Epaphras, Aristarchus, Demas, Mark, and Luke (the latter two who wrote two of the four Gospels).
Relationships matter. Take stock of the relationships in your life. Who are the family, friends, ministry leaders, fellow church friends, and others who have been influential in your faith journey, from the past right up to today. Take a moment and write one of them a note, thanking them for the spiritual influence they have had in your life.
Poem
Each Other
Bow down to each other
And humble yourselves
Be kind to your brother
Despite social stance
Let all speech be gracious
All seasoned with salt
Protect one another
Each other exalt
What others experience
Your presence of peace
Your actions, your witness
As loud as your speech
