EXPAND TO READ: COLOSSIANS 4 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 2): Right from the very start of this chapter I hear You convicting me, Father. My prayer life is definitely not what it should be and oftentimes I do not go into my prayer alert and with thanksgiving. Please forgive me for my lackluster prayer life, Father. I know that my prayer life is me speaking back to You in our conversations, but I do often fail to speak to You for some reason. I find this to be similar in most of my relationship, unfortunately, but I should never stray away from health, two-way conversation with You. Forgive me for my selfishness and meagerness in my prayer life, Father. Continue Your works in me and reaching out to me so that I can become better and more consistent in my prayer life.
PROMISE (verse 3): In this verse, Paul is asking the Colossians for their prayer that God will open a door for him to speak of the Messiah, even though he is in prison at the time. This is a promise to me of You answering prayers. Paul is so embedded into his prayer life that he knows the power of prayer. He knows what can come of prayer when done faithfully and fully. Paul acknowledges the promise of prayer by requesting the Colossians put power behind prayer over him and the ministry You have destined him to. By acknowledging the power and promise of prayer here, he shows me that I should be in prayer far more than I am in order to truly embrace and accept the promises You have for me and those around me.
ATTITUDE (verse 2): I often go into my prayers with thanksgiving, but there are often times that I do not. I pray more often when I am hurt, in doubt, struggling, or fighting my flesh. I know this is good, but I also feel that I am not truly there in prayer with You in my heart and Spirit; rather I am there in the flesh begging for You to help me through something or to change someone else or the situation. This is not me praying in thanksgiving and I am sorry for that. Help me to be better at walking in an attitude of thanksgiving, Father, so that when I do go into prayer it is for Your will and Your glory that I am praying and not for my own selfish desires. Help me to live in an attitude of alertness, so that I am able to recognize what I need to pray about but also to recognize when I am praying through my flesh instead of the Spirit You’ve blessed me with.
COMMAND (verse 17): Although this verse is Paul speaking to the Colossians about Archippus, I feel his statement is also being said to me directly. He says to tell Archippus to “pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it.” Not only do I struggle with what my true calling to ministry actually is in this life, I also struggle with paying close attention to the signs You’ve laid out for me in regard to the ministry You have in store for me. Help me to be better at listening and watching for Your signs of ministry in my life, Father. Help me to be better at following this command about Archippus in my own life, so that as I do delve into ministry for Your kingdom, I pay attention to it closely so that I may accomplish it.
EXAMPLE (verse 6): This is an interesting verse. My interpretation may be off a bit on it, but I feel this is what You’re speaking to me through this verse. Paul writes that our speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that we may know how to answer each person. The part that shined brightly to me was the seasoned with salt portion of the verse. We need to be gracious with our speech, okay that makes sense. Additionally, we also need to ensure our speech is seasoned with salt so that we know how to respond to those we communicate with. What is this salt? I believe the Spirit has shown me that the salt Paul speaks of is Your word, Your wisdom, and Your instructions to us. If we truly prepare ourselves by reading, studying, and embracing Your words, then our speech will be sprinkled, or salted, with Your wisdom and not our own. If we are truly living out our faith in obedience to You, then we will want to absorb as much of Your wisdom as we possibly can, so that we can share that with the world. I truly believe that the salt Paul speaks of here is You. Our speech should always be gracious, layered with Your truth, Your word, and Your wisdom, so that we may know how to answer and respond to each person in this life. Our responses to others should be Your responses and we cannot truly know Your responses if we are not living in Your word daily, so that we can season our conversations with Your salt. Thank You for illuminating this to me, Father.
*DAILY NOTE: Thank You for always speaking to me in a way that makes sense to me, but also in a way that I see things I never saw before. I know my relationship is growing with You, because in rereading verses in the Bible I know I have read before, I am seeing and understanding them completely different. You are an amazing teacher and I am so grateful for the great works You have done and are doing in my mind, heart, and life. Thank You for the book of Colossians, Father. Although I felt Your word truly beating me up at times, I know that sometimes we have to go through fire and pruning to get to the end result You want to see us at. I am grateful for all You are doing in me, and I look forward to the next book in Your truth and Your word that You lead me to tomorrow.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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