Colossians: Day 17
Verses 4:2-6
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.
Questions:
1. What does it look like to devote ourselves to prayer?
2. Who are you praying specifically for to have the opportunity share the Gospel, and specifically for to have an opportunity to receive the Gospel?
3. How can we act more wisely towards outsiders?
4. What does it look like to be prepared to answer everyone? (The best way to share the Gospel is to tell exactly how God worked in your life)
Interpretation:
Devoting yourself to prayer means to be courageously persistent in prayer. Praying with thanksgiving helps to keep prayers from becoming selfish. Paul asks them to pray for the opportunity to share the Gospel. Believers should pray for missionaries and church leaders - if you’re interested, look into the Grace Church missionaries, and start to pray for them. Paul’s comments assume that believers are vitally involved in the community and have ample opportunities to interact with outsiders in a way that would commend the Gospel to them. Speak to unbelievers in an interesting, stimulating, wise way - salt flavors and preserves, your words should be a purifying and good influence inside of a decaying society. Your conversations with people should be tailored to each individual person, each person salts a little more or a little less - season each conversation to their taste - same meal, tad different flavor.