Remember my chains. Grace be with you.(Colossians 4:18 – ESV)
The Apostle Paul sure seemed to get a lot of work done while he was in prison, glory to God. His location may have changed, but his calling didn’t. He may have been bound, but he knew the Word of God wasn’t bound (2 Timothy 2:9). He was doing all he could do considering his circumstances, and more than most would have thought possible. But that is God’s grace, to show that the world’s chains cannot hold the Spirit of God down. It was as if Paul was saying, “Remember my chains, and see how even in this situation God’s grace is with me, and so you can see that His grace will be with you, too”.
However, that doesn’t mean he loved being in jail. Within this chapter, Paul mentions his situation 3 times (Colossians 4:3,10,18). This is particularly instructive. It shows us that although we can endure the greatest of hardships, that doesn’t mean we just become oblivious to them. I can do all things doesn’t mean mind over matter, it means Christ in circumstance.
Paul didn’t pretend that he didn’t care about being incarcerated. He just cared less about getting himself out of prison than he did about getting the good news out to the public. Paul’s priority wasn’t on himself. He prayed for the people he ministered to, and he asked them to do the ministry and pray for the ministry before thinking of him. Even then he prays for grace to help them in their own endeavors.
Still, we see that even the Apostle Paul needed to be prayed for, so don’t just keep all your troubles in, and don’t just say you have left it all to God. Part of giving it to God is letting others know you need to be prayed for, specifically. The strongest pray for the weak and the weakest pray for the strong. All Christians are bound for heaven, but while on this earth we will all be bound to have some of this world’s shackles to deal with. Let us remember to tell others we need prayer, and to pray that the chains of this life will show the true freedom we have in Christ.
We remember to pray for those in chains, but also to remark upon how God in His grace still allows them to be a shining light for Christ. The Colossians were to look to Paul and pray for his release, but also to look to Paul and see the abundant grace and be inspired to do all they could for Christ. The chains of the world can never hold the Word of God down, and we can prove that to the world and to ourselves as we remember the chains that others have used to show that fact.
6 comments:
The whole post is fabulous, but I really love this:
I can do all things doesn’t mean mind over matter, it means Christ in circumstance.
May I quote this sentence on the blog of All Saints Anglican Church of San Antonio? We will, of course, give you credit and a link to the entire post.
Another fine teaching JD.
Paul was such an exceptional man of God, and I long to be like him more.
He never seemed to have a pity party for himself. He truly learned how to be content.
What a priceless gift contentment is. The peace and rest we can have for our souls is invaluable.
May we all learn to be more and more content, even in the most miserable trials, and that way bring glory to God, and His grace, which is always sufficient. Amen.
Lillie, sure that would be great, and thanks for the encouraging words...
Don, no doubt, remembering the "cloud of witnesses" can actually help lift the fog sometimes...
Thank you. I've added the quote with the link.
Hebrews 13:3
My soul is truly blessed.
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