Daily Devotions

Colossians

Colossians 
Day 
Day 91

"Grace be with you."

Text: Colossians 4:18

ONE MORE GRACIOUS WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Paul squeezed in the name of one more person he wanted to encourage.

“And say to Archippus,
‘Take heed to the ministry which you have received
in the Lord, that you may fulfil it.'”

Colossians 4:17

1. “Say to Archippus”

a) Little is known about him.
b) But he did receive a ministry from the Lord.
i) We are not sure what this ministry was.
ii) The word “ministry” was a general word that Paul used to describe his own work.
c) The important thing:-
i) To fulfil the ministry given by the Lord.
ii) The Church in Colossae was urged to give encouragement to Archippus.
iii) This personal word from Paul must have gone a long way to encourage his heart.

A FINAL WORD

Paul drew to a close his letter to the Colossian church with these words.

“This salutation by my own hand- Paul.
Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.”

Colossians 4:17-18

1. “This salutation by my own hand- Paul”

a) This was to authenticate this letter.
b) Paul was signing off this letter.
i) He could have dictated this letter to an amanuensis (scribe).
ii) The final touch was his signature… Paul.

2. “Remember my chains”

a) Paul was in prison when this letter was written.
b) Colossians is sometimes called “a prison letter”.
c) He gently asked the church to remember his chains in their thoughts and prayers.

3. “Grace be with you. Amen.”

The final word was akin to a benediction. The Lord’s grace to the readers! Grace was a huge word in Paul’s life. It was fitting that he would conclude his epistle wishing his readers “grace!”