Colossians, Day 6
(Colossians 4:7 – 18)
When I read Colossians 4:7 – 18, the thing that strikes me most is how we tend to overlook Paul’s support staff. Paul is viewed as a pillar in the Christian faith and rightly so, but he wasn’t alone in the work he was doing for Christ. Paul gets most of the credit, but he was not and could not have done it alone. He had friends who stayed with him when he was imprisoned; he had confidants, encouragers, a dedicated prayer team, and even a select few who received the title “bondservant.”
Paul was the leader, but he was not a lone ranger. There are times when I think we adopt the mindset that the success or failure of what God has called us to do rests squarely on our shoulders. That simply isn’t the case. There are two things I want us to make sure we remember about the success or failure of our ministry and our faith.
First, the success or failure of our ministry isn’t ours to be concerned with.
“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:5 – 9).
We are God’s “fellow workers.” We have a role, and our role is to faithfully and obediently carry out the work God has entrusted to us. God and God alone is responsible for what happens next. This is an area I constantly find myself struggling in. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to battle that voice in my head that says, “You’re not enough.” The truth is I’m not — I’m not enough to change a heart or to transform a life; that work belongs to God. I have to remind myself that while I cannot do that which only God can do, it is enough to do what God has asked me to do.
Second, we will never make it as lone ranger Christians. In our life, we will face obstacles. Paul was no stranger to obstacles. Paul had immense faith; however, he was also human and therefore in my opinion, not immune to feelings of doubt or fear or discouragement. If we’re not careful, I think we can say that Paul endured because he “had enough faith.” While faith is a large part of it, we also need support. In Colossians 4:7 – 18, Paul lists his support staff. While we likely won’t face imprisonment like Paul, we will face doubt, discouragement, fear, and worry, along with many other emotions. Who do you have in your life that is going to walk through these difficult times with you? Who is going to encourage you when you feel like giving up, who’s going to help you stay focused when the distractions come, who’s going to give you that gospel-centered pep talk that you can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13)? When the task seems too big for you to handle, who’s going to sit there with you and help you endure when things just don’t make sense?
Paul was a mighty man of God, but even Paul had a support staff. My question to you today is, “Who is your support staff?” Who are the people you can lean into in your times of weakness that are going to help you stay focused on God?
Adam Deering