“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. . . Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” – Colossians 4:2,5 

Scripture reading: Colossians 4:2-6

As the Apostle begins to wrap up his letter to the Colossians, perhaps you noticed how Paul ends his letter where he began – namely with the necessity of prayer. Paul recognizes that while most of his readers are not going to be ministers, they are going to be engaging in a whole manner of activities in the world. And knowing that the world is always watching, Paul wants us to recognize that we have an opportunity to bear witness to the Lord Jesus.

It may well be the case that you will be the only exposure to the gospel of Christ that your neighbour or your co-worker ever has. If those around us perceive that the Gospel has not really changed us, then they’ll assume that it’s because the Gospel doesn’t have the power to do so. Therefore, we must show by our lives that Christ is our all in all and our everything.

When Paul calls us to walk in wisdom toward outsiders, what he’s getting at is that we should be “walking Bibles” as it were – not in the sense that we are always quoting Scripture all the time, but in the sense that by our very lives, we should show something of who Christ is, what Christ has done, and that Christ is indeed a Saviour worth living for.

Suggestions for prayer

Pray we would be the light of the world and the salt of the earth in everything we do. Pray that God would indeed open to the church a door for the Word, to declare the mystery of Christ.

Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.