PRAY for OPEN DOORS

 NOVEMBER 15, 2022

Colossians 4:1-6

2-4 Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.

5-6 Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.

The Message


Something we have been identifying in this devotion series called Contagious is that Jesus continually demonstrated His willingness to engage with outsiders, the so-called sinners of his day, those who were of questionably reputation, or ones who were deemed lowly to the religious elite. 

In today’s passage, we are encouraged by the apostle Paul to be wise in the way we act toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity. This, to be sure, is something that we have witnessed in the Jesus’ stories we have been reading.

I believe, it is important that we occasionally do a “heart check” on how we tend to act toward outsiders of the faith community. We (I) sometimes need a reminder that we cannot expect non-Christians to behave like Christians. And judging other’s behaviors can be one of those areas where we are unkind or unwelcoming to others.

I am grieved at the way followers of Jesus have built walls of separation between themselves and their neighbors who are not Christ followers yet. I have said this many times in our devotions and in sermons and I will say it again here today, let us be known by what we are for rather than what we are against. We are for people, we are for loving people as God’s creation, we are for community, we are for people discovering the Peace, Joy, and Abundant Life that we have found in Jesus.

One of the take away’s from the Gospel stories we have read, is that Jesus’ arms were always wide open. We have read that whether it was sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, children, Jesus made the most of every opportunity to show love and grace to all, especially to those who were far from an adequate and saving knowledge of God. 

TAKE AWAY

Let us pray for a heart that is responsive to the opportunities God places in front of us to develop relationships with and impact others who are far from Him. Pray that in these divine opportunities we will with open arms, make the most of every opportunity and be gracious in our speech.

Pray that every time we open our mouth we’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to all.