Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians when he was is in prison. Here in chapter 4 he asks the Colossians to pray that God might open the doors – but not the doors of prison. He doesn’t ask them to pray for his release. Rather, he asks them to pray for a door to open for the message he proclaims. This seemingly incidental detail of Paul’s letter powerfully demonstrates the apostle’s priorities. Paul’s whole reason for living was to fulfil his divine calling. He saw himself as a messenger of God and therefore he knew that wherever God took him, even if it be into prison, if it profited the ministry of the gospel then it profited him. An open door for Paul could, equally, be a doorway into imprisonment. We can tend to assess God’s leading in our lives by how it profits our personal lifestyle goals. But that isn’t God’s priority for us. If you belong to Christ, then you belong to his mission. You are a messenger of God. The most important thing, therefore, is not open doors to greater prosperity and success in your occupation, as good as these things might be. The most important thing is open doors for you to embody the message more deeply and carry it to those who need it. What do you care about most: your lifestyle goals or your divine calling? I guarantee that there is no satisfaction in the former if the latter does not have priority. True contentment does not come from what you have but in being who you were made to be.
Pray that God would open doors for you to share your life and peace with others.
Read Colossians 4
