Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:2-6 A number of years ago I was privileged to hear a seasoned preacher addressing a denominational gathering in which the weighty theme of demonstrating the reality of the Gospel was being considered. The preacher announced the theme he had been given to consider, then asked those gathered a simple but profound question. Do you really mean it? In thinking about that question it occurs to me that that must be at the heart of every one of our worship services, or devotional times. Do we really mean it when we pray seeking Gods will in our lives? Do we really mean it when we study the Word of God, seeking to trace out Gods revealed purposes for our lives? Do we really mean it? Steven J. Lawson, in The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards, wrestles with the seventy resolutions which Edwards penned as a young man. Lawson quotes these words from the preamble to Edwards Resolutions. Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without Gods help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christs sake. Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week. (Page 157) Lawson presents Edwards as a man who really meant it. He recognised his own weakness, being desperately in need of the Holy Spirits help. He sought that help on a daily basis. Edwards also recognised that he had a great need for self-control and discipline in his life; therefore he set up a means by which he could engage in a lifelong pursuit of God. That was his goal, to grow in Godliness. These thoughts help us as we approach the command that the Apostle Paul gives to the Colossians in our text today. When we begin to think about being people who are committed to prayer do we really mean it? If we do really mean to be a people at prayer what steps are we taking to make sure that it will become a reality among us? As Paul writes to the Colossians he uses the present tense to tell us that we must be continually engaged in a life of prayer. It is not a onetime thing; it must be a continuous activity or a habit in our lives. The reason for this is that we are people who are always fallible, desperately in need of the help that the Holy Spirit gives. The work of living out the Christian life, and engaging in evangelism requires so much of us that it cannot be engaged in successfully apart from the help that God gives us by His grace. If this was true for the Apostle Paul, and it certainly seems to be from the way he pleads for the prayers of the Church, then it must also be true for us. We must be people who prayerfully seek an open door for the proclamation of the mystery of Christ. Even in chains Paul is looking for an open door. He is asking for boldness to make this gospel clear to his hearers. Some of them might react violently to

Pauls message but he still must preach it clearly. Is anything less required of us in these difficult and indifferent days? The question remains. Do we really mean it?