Category Archives: Scripture

Bible, Concern, Pain, Scripture

SHOWING CONCERN FOR OTHERS

COLOSSIANS 4:13

“For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.”

Raise your hand if you like pain. What? No one? I suffer from pain in my feet from neuropathy. It hurts to walk sometimes and forget about walking barefooted. Ouch! Why am I talking about pain? Because the word “concern” used in today’s verse can be translated as “pain.” That’s the depth of Epaphras’ concern for these believers. He actually was hurting for them.

Paul only used that Greek word once, right here. The other three times it is used in the New Testament, John used it. All three times he used it was in Revelation. We’ll see those below.

I am sure Epaphras shared with Paul his deep concern for these Christians in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Paul wanted to share this with the Colossians to show them Epaphras’ heart. It was real!

APPLICATION

In Revelation 16:10-11, John uses this word in a very negative way, referring to the unbelievers and what they will face in the last days. “10 And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, 11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.”

Oh, but then John gives us all hope. I just love this verse. Revelation 21:4 says, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” What a great promise. I can’t wait. I have known a lot of people who lived with pain in their earthly life who are now pain free.

How’s your pain for others? Do you have a deep concern that is so deep that it hurts? I want to be like Epaphras. I want to show others that kind of love. What stops me? My flesh! That has to die. I can’t love others like Jesus (or Epaphras) if I am looking out for myself. Will you join me?

Father, kill my flesh and let me love others with a deep painful concern.

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Bible, Faithfulness, Fighting, Prayer, Scripture, Striving

STRIVING

COLOSSIANS 4:12

“Epaphras, who is one of your own, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always striving earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.”

Often when you hear the word “striving” it has a negative connotation. We are trying hard, perhaps too hard to accomplish something. In the Christian world we might say that person is trying to do it in the flesh rather than the Spirit. But striving is not always bad. Let’s see what the Word has to say about it.

Paul says that Epaphras was “always striving earnestly” for others in his prayers. What a compliment! Wouldn’t it be great to be known for that? Epaphras could be counted on to pray for you if he said he would. So, was his striving a bad thing? No, let’s look at some other ways this word is used in Scripture.

APPLICATION

The word used here is agónizomai which means to struggle or to labor fervently. Jesus Himself used this word. We see that in Luke 13:22-24. “22 And He was passing through one city and village after another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?’ And He said to them, 24 ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.’” We should strive to enter that narrow door.

In one of the best passages from Paul, we find the word used again in 2 Timothy 4:7. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;” Agónizomai is translated as “have fought.” Do you see the picture Scripture is trying to paint of this word. Striving is real. We all have our struggles. But it’s important to make sure that we are striving in the Spirit and not our flesh.

We get our word “agonize” from agónizomai. Have you ever agonized over something? Have you, like Epaphraas, ever agonized in prayer? There have been times in my life I did. God hears us. He knows the pain we are going through. Let me encourage you to strive a little more earnestly in your prayer life. I promise it will draw you closer to Him.

I cry out to You, O Lord. I know You hear and will answer according to Your perfect will.

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Bible, Fellow worker, Loyalty, Partner, Scripture

ONE OF THE FEW

COLOSSIANS 4:11

“and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.”

Sometimes when you move to a new city you will have a few of your new neighbors who reach out. They become the few among the many who make you feel welcomed. My wife and I moved to a new city one year ago and into a fairly large subdivision. It’s sad to say but the only neighbors we have met are the ones we have reached out to. No one has come to our door with a welcome gift or a casserole (that’s popular in the South). We should all be better neighbors.

Paul, however, had a few Jewish believers who stuck with him. We mentioned two of those yesterday, Mark or John Mark and Aristarchus. Many of the other Jewish believers were pretty fickle in their support for Paul. But here is Jesus (also called Justus) who Paul describes as a “fellow worker for the kingdom of God.” What a great compliment from Paul. Paul valued fellow workers because he knew he could not do the work alone. We are no different.

APPLICATION

Too many Christians fail because they think they can do it alone. This term fellow worker, used by Paul almost exclusively in the New Testament, is the Greek word sunergos. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance says it comes, “From a presumed compound of sun and the base of ergon; a co-laborer, i.e. Coadjutor — companion in labour, (fellow-) helper (-labourer, -worker), labourer together with, workfellow.” Remember, that preposition sun is that inseparable “with.”

Paul uses sunergos in Romans 16:3, 9, 16; 1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 1:24, 8:23; Philippians 4:3, 11; 1 Thessalonians 3:2; and Philemon 1, 24. Look up these verses and see who Paul is talking about. Can you just imagine your name listed there as one of Paul’s fellow workers? That would be awesome.

Only John, besides Paul, uses this term in 1 John 1:8. “Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may prove to be fellow workers with the truth.” And he gives the same weight to this term. We should all be fellow workers with the truth. Amen. Are you?

Father, make me into the kind of fellow worker with others that they need and give me fellow workers to accomplish all You have for me to do.

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Bible, Friends, Ministry, Partner, Reconciled, Scripture

MAKING UP

COLOSSIANS 4:10

“Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’ cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him);”

Have you ever made up with an old friend? Once you make up, you both often realize how silly your dispute was in the beginning. There’s an old song that says, “Making up is hard to do.” Well, it is if we allow our flesh to stand in the way. But if we allow the Spirit of God to rule us, we will be quick to reconcile.

Paul mentions a couple of people who are with him during this imprisonment. He directly calls Aristarchus “my fellow prisoner.” He doesn’t call Mark a fellow prisoner, so he must have been free to leave and go to Colossae. It is noteworthy that Paul asks specifically for Mark to be welcomed by the church there. He was probably afraid they may have heard about the rift between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15) over Mark and hold that against him. Paul is giving Mark an introductory letter to the church there with his full confidence.

APPLICATION

Mark had undoubtedly matured and become, once again, a trusted partner in ministry with Paul. Mark must have also lost some of his fear of persecution (some think this was the reason he deserted Paul earlier). Why else would he have been there with Paul during this imprisonment? Perhaps Mark had been rebuilding his relationship with Paul since that first breach.

We are told in Ephesians 4:1-3, “1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Paul was a peacemaker. He had made peace with Mark. Is there someone you need to make peace with?

Maybe you’re saying, Well, it’s been too long. They would never forgive me now.” Wrong. We don’t know how long it took Paul and Mark to make up, but they did. It may have been months or years. The time doesn’t matter. Do it today. At least try. You may be spurned by that person. If so, forgive them anyway. Pray for them daily. Do all you can to reconcile and then leave the rest with God.

Father, help me to be a peace with all those around me.

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Bible, Church, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Masters, Scripture, Slaves

THE RETURN

COLOSSIANS 4:9

“and with him is Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your own. They will inform you about the whole situation here.”

Sometimes people move away and then return years, maybe even decades, later. I know when I go home to visit my family in South Georgia, I may see someone I haven’t seen in a long time. Most of them I recognize, but some are almost unrecognizable. While I remain eternally youthful, they have aged badly. Lol. Seriously, people change when they move away.

Onesimus was no different. We know Onesimus from Paul’s letter to Philemon, his owner. We know from that book that Onesimus had run away and had perhaps stolen something from Philemon. Now Paul is sending him back home with a letter for the church. I am pretty sure he delivered that letter to Philemon at the same time. He is a changed man. He is now a believer.

APPLICATION

Paul had paired Onesimus up with Tychicus (whom we discussed the last two days) knowing that Tychicus could guide him well and speak on his behalf to Philemon and the church. Even though Onesimus had probably left on bad terms, he was now returning as a “faithful and beloved brother” of Paul. That in itself should have spoken loudly to his owner and the church. If Paul trusted him, they could too.

Whom has harmed you in the past, only to return to make things right later? What did you do? Did you forgive them? Did you listen to their story of how they had changed? Take another look at the book of Philemon and put yourself in his sandals. How would you have reacted?

As Christians, we must always look at what God has done in a person’s life and evaluate from God’s perspective. In today’s verse, it is obvious that Paul had placed a lot of trust in Onesimus. Now he was placing a lot of trust in Philemon and the Colossian church to receive him back with open arms as a brother in Christ.

When people see you after years apart, are they amazed at what God has done in your life? Are you a shining example of God’s grace and mercy? Our goal should always be to encourage others in their walk and live a life that reflects His glory. Let us all strive to be like Onesimus, faithful and beloved.

Lord, You have done such wonderful works in all of our lives. Thank You.

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Bible, Encouragement, Ministry, Scripture, Trust

ENCOURAGEMENT

COLOSSIANS 4:8

“For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts;”

I have known some real encouragers in my lifetime. One of those was my late brother-in-law, Wayne Barber. He just had the gift of encouragement. If I ever needed spiritual advice, he was the one I would call or go see. To Wayne, the glass was always half full, not half empty. Did Wayne always have the answer I was looking for? No, but his advice and encouragement always lifted my spirit and sent me on my way ready to face whatever I was dealing with. I sure miss that goof ball.

In today’s verse, Paul basically calls Tychicus (mentioned in the last verse) an encourager. Paul had sent him to Colossae to bring news about his situation and probably his health. He was to encourage them and instruct them to not lose heart just because he was in prison. Can’t you just hear the words Paul gave Tychicus to share? Remember, Paul was brought along into ministry by Barnabas, whose name means “Encourager.”

APPLICATION

Strong’s Lexicon says, “The verb parakaleó is used in the New Testament to convey a range of meanings centered around the idea of calling someone to one’s side for the purpose of exhortation, encouragement, comfort, or urging. It is often used in contexts where believers are encouraged to live out their faith, comfort one another in times of distress, or be urged to adhere to the teachings of Christ. The term reflects both a personal and communal aspect of the Christian life, emphasizing the importance of mutual support and encouragement within the body of Christ.”

Paul uses this same word in a most recognized verse in Romans 12:1. “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Paul was an encourager who was taught by an encourager. Therefore, he was encouraging another encourager to encourage others. Did you get that? Read it again.

In fact, did you know that Paul uses the word parakaleó in 12 of his 13 epistles? Encouragement was important to Paul. He knew how rules and laws could weigh you down. He knew the perils of persecution for your faith. He wanted to encourage everyone to remain strong and trust in the One who saves. Can you do the same?

Father, I want to be known as an encourager. Give me the words to say when it is time to do that.

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Beloved, Bible, Scripture, Servant, Service, Trust

A TRUSTED BROTHER

COLOSSIANS 4:7

“As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information.”

Do you have someone in your life with whom you could entrust information of high importance? Maybe you have appointed someone to be the executor of your will or to oversee your financial affairs. Maybe you are that person for someone else. People in those positions have earned that trust through how they have proved themselves and by their character. We should all strive to be that kind of person.

Paul had such a person – Tychicus. Not much is known about him except he was from the region of Ephesus and delivered the letter from Paul to Colossae. We are not told when he came to Christ or what became of him. Paul did consider him to succeed Titus in Crete (Titus 3:12). Paul had great trust in Tychicus. He is mentioned in Acts, Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Timothy and Titus. I bet Paul and he had a great reunion the day Titus arrived in heaven.

APPLICATION

In Acts 20:4, Tychicus is named among a number of men who accompanied Paul went he left Greece. “And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.” Do you think for a second that Tychicus thought his name would be recorded in God’s Word for us to read about? I don’t think so. He was just serving Paul.

In the last letter written by Paul, he mentions Tychicus once again. 2 Timothy 4:12 says, “But I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.” He was probably delivering another letter to the church which we don’t have. When Paul wrote 2 Timothy, he was in his last days in a Roman prison. He trusted one of his most trustworthy servants to go to Ephesus, a place Paul dearly loved.

How can you be a Tychicus? Whom can you serve that way? Husbands, how about your wife and children? Wives, how about your husbands and children? Deacon, how about your Pastor? We all have someone to whom we can show that kind of service. Do it today.

Father, make me like Tychicus, an unfailing servant of others.

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Bible, Grace, Scripture, Speech, Tongue, Words

SALTY SPEECH

COLOSSIANS 4:6

“Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

When you think of “salty speech,” you probably think of someone who curses a bit too much. My father-in-law was saved late in life and had kind of a salty mouth. He wasn’t crude or rude about it. He had just used these words a long time and would let a word or two slide out every once in a while. I’ve known other people who “cursed like a sailor” (no offense to all my Navy buddies out there).

Paul is not talking about that kind of salty speech today. Salt is used to season things, right? Not enough salt and the food is kind of blah. Too much salt and it is inedible. Paul is saying we should season our speech with just enough grace for the occasion. The Holy Spirit, of course, will guide us in our speech if we will just listen.

APPLICATION

Once again, Albert Barnes gives an excellent description of this “salty speech.” “Salt, among the Greeks, was the emblem of wit. Here the meaning seems to be, that our conversation should be seasoned with piety or grace in a way similar to that in which we employ salt in our food. It makes it wholesome and palatable. So, with our conversation. If it be not imbued with the spirit of piety, it is flat, insipid, unprofitable, injurious. The spirit of piety will make it what it should be – useful, agreeable, beneficial to mankind. This does not mean that our conversation is to be always, strictly speaking, religious – wherever we may be – any more than our food should be mere salt; but it means that, whatever be the topic, the spirit of piety should be diffused through it – as the salt in our food should properly season it all – whatever the article of food may be.”

So, let me ask you a question. How is your speech toward others, especially unbelievers? Do you give too little grace or too much grace? Is your speech palatable? We should weigh our words carefully. I’ve always said that words are like toothpaste. Once they are out, they can’t be put back in. Squeeze carefully.

O Lord, guard my tongue and give me the right words to say.

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Bible, Conduct, Scripture, Testimony, Witnessing

PERSONAL CONDUCT

COLOSSIANS 4:5

“Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

Personal conduct is lacking in our world today. Well, I should say “proper” personal conduct is lacking. There is a lot of conduct going on that is not good, not very Christ-like. But I can’t judge others. I can only judge my own conduct to see how it measures up to God’s Word. Every word I speak and every action I take reflects on Jesus. I have to remember that.

Paul was very aware of that and wanted the Colossian believers to be that salt and light to their unbelieving neighbors and friends. Remember, these early believers were living in a pagan society that worshipped all kinds of gods. They had all sorts of personal conduct that we would find reviling to God. Hmmm, kind of sounds like today, doesn’t it.

APPLICATION

What did Paul mean by “conduct”? The Greek word is peripateo means to walk about or manner of living. It’s written in the Present Imperative which means it’s a command that we are to continue to do all the time. Paul is telling the Colossians (and us) to live our lives in such a manner with all wisdom that unbelievers see it and are changed by it.

I am reminded of a verse in Matthew spoken by Jesus. Matthew 5:16 says, “‘Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.’” That’s a pretty good admonition, don’t you think? As we live our lives for Jesus, people are drawn to Him. They see the change in us. They notice how we behave when we face temptations and struggles.

Who is watching you? You see, that’s the problem. We really don’t know who is watching. So, we have to live our lives every day giving glory to Him who died to set us free from this world and all its temptations. Today, make your actions matter. Let your words reflect Jesus. Then look around to see who is watching. Don’t miss out on opportunities to lead someone closer to Him.

I do not know who is watching me today, Lord, so help me reflect Your glory.

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Bible, Gospel, Proclaim, Scripture, Witnessing

PROCLAIM!

COLOSSIANS 4:4

“that I may make it clear in the way that I ought to proclaim it.”

I was called to full-time ministry as a high school senior. In fact, shortly after my salvation, I knew the Lord was directing me to that. Little did I know all that was involved in that. But there was one thing I knew it involved – proclaiming the Gospel. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are called to preach. You can proclaim the Gospel in a lot of ways.

Paul knew he was called by God on that Damascus road to reach the Gentiles. What?! A Pharisee reaching out to Gentiles? Do you remember what the Lord told Ananias to tell Paul? In Acts 9:15, we read, “‘This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.’” Paul knew he was called to proclaim!

APPLICATION

In 2 Corinthians 5:11 Paul tells the Corinthian believers that we all have this calling – to proclaim the Word. “Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well.” We have the duty to try to persuade others using God’s Word. Persuade to what? To follow Jesus.

Acts 20:20-21 tell us Paul’s thoughts regarding this call to proclaim. “20 I did not shrink back from declaring anything that was helpful to you as I taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 testifying to Jews and Greeks alike about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul knew his calling and was always telling others to proclaim and share the Gospel.

Don’t think for a moment that you are exempt from this as a believer. Don’t try to claim Moses’ excuse (stuttering) or Simon Peter’s excuse (too busy fishing). Ask the Lord how He wants you to proclaim the Gospel. You may be surprised at the way in which He leads you. Just proclaim!

O Lord, use me to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in whatever manner You desire.

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