Colossians, Chapter 4

We finally come to the end of our journey of eating potato chips with God as we reach Colossians 4 today. While it is a short chapter filled with many personal greetings and wishes from Paul to others in the church, it still has value and we can still learn from it. What we can learn from it is Paul's attitude of servanthood carried on even through his imprisonment. Here was someone totally committed to the cause of Christ and the mission of the gospel, and we see his commitment even in his instructions to others.

"2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3And 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. 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." Colossians 4:2-5

Prayer is a powerful tool. Look at what is accomplished for Paul during his imprisonment. He had only prayer and some paper to write on and he ended up writing most of the New Testament. This is still around today as a guide to not only salvation but as kind of a "How to be a Christian 101." I believe fully in the power of prayer and that it can accomplish everything, as I have seen times in my life when all I could do was pray and hope God could figure it all out for me. The beauty of prayer is that it doesn't have to be thoughtful and flowery. I t can be a mere conversation with god as if He is sitting next to you. I have had this experience many times on late nights driving home from covering a basketball game for my newspaper job. On these nights I simply sit and talk to God like He's in the passenger seat next to me. This is how simple prayer can be and we cannot shirk our responsibility for it. Remember the four beats of the spirit? Prayer was one of the four key beats and we cannot forget it.

"18I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you." – Colossians 4:18

This is such a short verse to end our study of Colossians on, but it is so powerful because Paul is telling us such an important message here. He is not asking us to remember his physical chains and pity him for his imprisonment. Instead he is asking that we remember His servitude for Christ and that we must take up the same attitude in order to spread the good news of the message of Christ. Paul knew that he could never accomplish his mission alone, as he needed the help of not only Christ, but other believers in the church. How did he know his letters would be delivered once he wrote them? It's not like he dropped them off at the post office and delivered them priority mail to Colosse.

We must have this attitude of servanthood in our own lives as I stated before. Once we begin our faith in Christ we begin our own form of bondage because much is expected of us in that walk. Some will pay more than others, but all must work to further the kingdom of God. My chains are this blog and using the gift of writing that God gave me to spread His message. Others are called to teach. Some are called to be missionaries all over the world. Whatever your calling is pursue it passionately, as this is what God wants and You will be happiest in doing so. How else do you explain Paul finding joy while in prison?

To those of you who have been here during the entire walk of Eating Potato Chips with God I thank you. I pray the words God has given me to write have done His work and have been useful to you. Next up I will be tackling another book in the New Testament I have been compelled to study closely of late and that is the book of Hebrews. I hope you'll come back and please forward this on to others.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. What has prayer accomplished in your life?
   
2. How strong is your prayer life and what is your conversation with God like?
   
3. In what form do you feel the chains God is placing you in take in your everyday walk?