Read Colossians 4

Reflect on these questions

In verses 2-4, Paul begins giving the Colossians his final thoughts. Paul emphasizes prayer in these closing remarks.

How does Paul tell the Colossians they should pray? What does Paul ask them to pray for?
The heart of the book of Colossians is the supremacy of Christ and its impact on our lives. With that in mind, why is one of Paul’s closing thoughts focused on prayer?

In verses 5-6, Paul offers a powerful reminder that the life of believers should include intentional witness to unbelievers. He advises that our conversations should be “gracious,” and “seasoned with salt.” There are only eight instances of the word “salt” in the New Testament. Every other instance is from Jesus’s references to Christian witness (engaging others through evangelism) in His Sermon on the Mount. It’s clear that Paul is using salt as an analogy for spreading the gospel.

We typically want our food to have at least some salt or seasoning. At the same time, we don’t want our food to be too salty. Our efforts toward engaging others in evangelism can be very similar. Some of us might be afraid of bringing God into a conversation. Others might be incredibly zealous in presenting Jesus to an extent that could become ineffective.
Which one of those two tendencies describes you best? Is there anything you can do to create a healthy balance when engaging others for Christ?

(Note: Being “a bad witness” who means well is usually better than not being a witness at all. Let’s have faith to start being witnesses. Then, we can grow as we go!)

Some commentators have categorized Paul’s closing remarks in verses 2-6 as covering “the inner life of prayer” and “the outer life of witness.”