In Colossians 4:2-5 Paul writes, “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.” We want to be a church that is looking for those open doors. We want to seek out ways to connect with our community. We want to love and serve. We want to help spread the good news in Ada and around the world. There is a lot of truth in those four verses that can help us toward those goals.

 

Begin and continue with prayer. Prayer permeates Paul’s efforts. It should be in all that we do as well.
The prayer is in first person. Notice what Paul asks to be prayed for: “us, our message, that we may proclaim, that I may proclaim.” Paul is not just wanting lives to be changed because of an open door. He wants to be personally used by God in the process. In fact, his ending the sentence with “as I should” indicates he does not only desire to do it. He feels a responsibility.

 

How we act matters. This is a place where Paul encourages us to use wisdom. How we are perceived a major factor in the willingness of people to listen to our message. It is not enough to be right. We must also act wisely.
Look for and act on opportunities. Our time on earth is temporary. Our time with specific people is even less. We must use the time that God gives us well.

 

Let’s pray this week that God will open doors for us to show Him to others and that we will be ready to step through those doors. For that we can all be thankful.

 

– Brian