DEC 31

Colossians 4:18
Memorise Ephesians 4:1
“…remember my bonds…”

Paul ends the book of Colossians with “The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. Written from Rome to the Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.” (Colossians 4:18) Though the rest of this epistle was dictated by Paul to those appointed to be his writers, Paul now ends off the epistle with his personal handwriting, to authenticate the epistle as his. This makes the next phrase all the more significant, being written in his own hand: “Remember my bonds.” In effect Paul is saying that all that he has spoken of is true: the words of this epistle are not mere words, but are the very words of God, and Paul is willing to suffer being in bonds as a result of believing these words. This is in contrast with the false teachers who delight in using their credentials to persuade men, but are never willing to suffer for their false beliefs, nor suffer for the flock they pretend to be concerned about. Paul is also exhorting the Colossians to follow his example, to not fear suffering as a consequence of believing in Christ, and thus he also prays that “grace be with you” to endure such suffering. He has already asked for prayer for himself for being in bonds in Colossians 4:3; this is similar to what the writer of Hebrews alludes to: “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” (Hebrews 13:3) Paul is not asking the Colossians to pity him, but rather rallying them to the cause of Christ.

Dear teen, are you willing to suffer even the ignominy of imprisonment for what you believe in, the truth of God’s Word? Only then can you truly walk worthy of the Lord, to be prepared to endure suffering just like Christ endured all suffering for our sakes. How can you call yourself a Christian and bear the name of Christ, if you are not willing to suffer for believing in the truth of what Christ said? God may not call you to suffer imprisonment, but perhaps call you to suffer in smaller ways such as being mocked by your friends for being so ‘religious’. When that happens, will you be tempted to compromise on your faith and deny Christ? Elsewhere Paul wrote “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Ephesians 4:1). Paul walked worthy of the Lord. Will you?

Thought: Am I willing to suffer imprisonment for my faith?
Prayer: May I truly walk worthy of the Lord.