Colossians 4

Pray for the Children

Posted on by Betsy

Back when I was a very young mother, a church matriarch named Betty Brown gave me some of the best advice I have ever received. We were attending a program on prayer and she leaned over to me and said, “Betsy, do you pray for your children?” I had a two-year old at the time and was eight months pregnant with the second one. “Yes, I do. Every day,” I responded. “What do you pray FOR?” she asked. “Well I pray mostly for their health and their safety,” I responded.

She looked at me sideways and said, “You should be praying for their college roommates and their husbands.” My mind went “Whaaaaat?”

“Think about it. Who in their lives will have influence over them when they leave home? College roommates and spouses will have a direct effect on their happiness long after your influence is over.” Well, heck. That was just so sad, somewhat devastating … and true.

So from that day forward, I added those two things to my daily prayer list. And lo and behold, each girl had wonderful college roommates who are still close friends to this day, and boy, oh BOY did we hit the husband lottery! Twice! I thank God every day for these wonderful young men who indeed have a much greater influence on their happiness than I do. They truly are God-sends.

God answered my prayer, and the wonderful matriarch who suggested this taught me a valuable lesson … pray for your children and for future things.

In fact, I believe we should pray for all the children. Yours, your friends, the kids on the block, the ones in the church, the vulnerable ones all over our country, the broken ones crying at our border…all of them.

I still pray for my “children,” even though they are grown up ladies with children of their own. They will always need Mama’s prayers. And I pray for their children, the children in my village, and beyond. It is a blessing and a privilege to be able to pray for all of God’s children.

Colossians 4

2 Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.

So to the young mamas and papas out there, get down on your knees tonight and start praying for all the future boyfriends, girlfriends, roommates, co-workers, bosses, teachers…all the people who shape and form your children as they grow into adulthood.

Be persistent. Be devoted to praying for them and their little friends. Be alert to what God reveals to you as you pray. And focus your petitions with gratitude that you have a God who listens and answers.

And for the rest of us, let us join in by praying for the children around us and the children far away. May God hear our hearts as we bow in love and hope for their future. As Jesus said, “Let the little children come unto me, and do not hinder them.” May the Kingdom of God be truly theirs.

Lord, in your mercy

Say Hello

Posted on by Betsy

Tom Hanks starred in a wonderful movie called “News of the World” a few years ago. It was the story of an itinerant news reader who traveled all over Texas in 1870 to read news stories about presidents, queens, disasters, and all kinds of adventures to people who had no access to newspapers and most likely were illiterate. Folks would gather in the community hall or a tent to sit and listen in awe as this former Civil War veteran read to them.

 It is hard for us to imagine such a world where even a basic newspaper isn’t available. We are spoiled by an overabundance of news outlets right at our fingertips, from 24-hour television news to online sources that update every few minutes.

We also have an amazing ability to keep in touch with our family members now, thanks to technology such as FaceTime and ZOOM. During the pandemic, my family started a weekly ZOOM call to keep everyone in touch with each other. From Germany to Montana to Georgia and Virginia, we connected electronically to share our weekly joys and sorrows and to see each other’s faces. We still continue that today.

When we read Paul’s letter to Colossae, we get a rare glimpse into the difficulties of keeping a large family of followers in touch with each other. Paul had to entrust his letters to people who took months to travel with them to their intended destinations. The fact that this letter even exists to be read by modern Christians today is a miracle of God’s making. Paul writes about the men with whom he is travelling, and the common work they are doing in spreading the gospel. 

Colossians 4:7-15 (Common English Bible)

7 Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave in the Lord, will inform you about everything that has happened to me. 8 This is why I sent him to you, so that you’ll know all about us and so he can encourage your hearts. 9 I sent him with Onesimus, our faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will let you know about everything here.

10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, says hello to you. So does Mark, Barnabas’ cousin (you received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him). 11 Jesus, called Justus, also says hello. These are my only fellow workers for God’s kingdom who are Jewish converts. They have been an encouragement to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, says hello. He’s a slave of Christ Jesus who always wrestles for you in prayers so that you will stand firm and be fully mature and complete in the entire will of God. 13 I can vouch for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas say hello.

15 Say hello to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, along with Nympha and the church that meets in her house.

He mentions two men of particular interest: Onesimus, a former slave whom he describes as a faithful and beloved brother of the church and should be welcomed as one of them; and Epaphras, who is described as a bondservant in Christ who has been laboring fervently in prayer for them. In so doing, Paul is strengthening the family ties between these diverse men and ensuring that they are all keeping up and strengthening their relationships with each other.

This gives us pause to think about our own relationships with our family, friends, coworkers, and church. Are we making it a priority to stay in touch, or do we let months (or years) go by? How hard is it to just say hello?

As people of God, we are invited to stay informed and pray with great fervor for one another. Is God calling you to pick up the phone and reach out to someone today? Don’t hesitate. You may not always have this chance.

Hello, OBX! by Michelle Robertson

Big Favor

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever had to ask someone for a big favor? It’s hard, isn’t it? You have to screw up your courage and be ready for a big “no” to your request. I don’t know about you, but when I find myself in that place, I rehearse my request over and over in my mind. I try to have an articulated proposal ready, and I always appeal to the person’s good and kind nature first.

The strange little book of Philemon in the New Testament records a time when Paul asked his friend Philemon for a big, big favor. This favor would not only benefit Paul but also Philemon’s runaway slave Onesimus. In a set of circumstances that only God could arrange, Onesimus fled from Philemon and ran to Rome, where he met Paul. Paul converted him, just as he did Philemon years earlier.

Paul wrote this letter from jail and used that situation to appeal to Philemon’s better nature:

Philemon 1 (The Message)

8-9 In line with all this I have a favor to ask of you. As Christ’s ambassador and now a prisoner for him, I wouldn’t hesitate to command this if I thought it necessary, but I’d rather make it a personal request.

The word “ambassador” is also translated “old man.” In Hebrew, these two phrases are one letter apart. So, by putting himself in the light of an old man in jail, he hoped to butter Philemon up. Notice also that he stated that he could command Philemon to do his bidding but decided to make it a personal request. In other words, he based his appeal on their mutual love for one another.

What a marvelous concept. Where would we be if we appealed to people’s better nature and then asked for favors based on love, rather than demand?

Paul went on to set the stage for the big ask:

10-14 While here in jail, I’ve fathered a child, so to speak. And here he is, hand-carrying this letter—Onesimus! He was useless to you before; now he’s useful to both of us. I’m sending him back to you, but it feels like I’m cutting off my right arm in doing so. I wanted in the worst way to keep him here as your stand-in to help out while I’m in jail for the Message. But I didn’t want to do anything behind your back, make you do a good deed that you hadn’t willingly agreed to.

Paul cleverly suggested that since Onesimus was helping Paul with his ministry, the runaway slave was useful to both of them because he was working for the gospel, something that Philemon himself supported.

What came next is groundbreaking. Paul suggested that a man who had been a slave should be considered a brother because of their shared faith in Christ. This was a common theme for Paul. You may remember that he took down all the barriers between people who are gathered in the faith community of Christ followers:

Galatians 3:28. (Common English Bible)

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Equity would balance out these scales and perhaps persuade Philemon to allow Onesimus to be emancipated. Surely a man cannot deny a brother in Christ the freedom that he enjoys.

15-16 Maybe it’s all for the best that you lost him for a while. You’re getting him back now for good—and no mere slave this time, but a true Christian brother! That’s what he was to me—he’ll be even more than that to you.

Finally, Paul laid down the big favor. Would you welcome him back as you would me? The law permitted slave owners to kill runaway slaves, or at least enslave them again upon their return. Paul asked that Philemon welcome Onesimus “as you would me,” meaning as you would a brother and friend in Christ.

17-20 So if you still consider me a comrade-in-arms, welcome him back as you would me. If he damaged anything or owes you anything, chalk it up to my account. This is my personal signature—Paul—and I stand behind it. (I don’t need to remind you, do I, that you owe your very life to me?) Do me this big favor, friend. You’ll be doing it for Christ, but it will also do my heart good.

Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians next, and in the fourth chapter we learn what happened:

Colossians 4 (Common English Bible)

9 I sent him with Onesimus, our faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will let you know about everything here.

Onesimus went on Paul’s behalf with Tychicus to Colossae, indicating that he did indeed receive his emancipation from Philemon as Paul had asked.

This a great reminder of what our grandmothers told us when they said that we catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Do you need to persuade someone to do you a favor? Are you arguing with someone to the point where neither of you is listening to each other anymore? Do you yell at your spouse and kids to do things rather than appeal to their better nature and make the request based on mutual love?

Take a page from Paul’s book next time you find yourself needing a favor. Use the honey.

Sweet Things by Michelle Robertson