Verse 12 “’Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God.'” (NLT) Epaphras is a good model of how to have a sincere concern for our Church body. It’s also a good prayer for ourselves. We could pray, “Lord, make me strong today in your perfection. Strong as a wife, strong as a mother, strong in my work, strong in my decisions, strong in everything I put my hands to. Help me to be fully confident that I am following Your whole will, not just in parts or when it’s convenient for me. Help me to follow Your will when it is uncomfortable or brings painful repercussions because I know that Your will is ultimately for my best! Lead me, Holy Spirit, in the way I should go today so that Your will that leads to my best will be done in all things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Verse 18 “‘Here is my greeting in my own handwriting—Paul . Remember my chains. May God’s grace be with you.'” (NLT) Paul was a ruthless advocate for the gospel message, which is Jesus on the cross carrying our sin to his death once and for all, then rising from the dead so that we may also rise from our dead life and live a new life in Him. Paul was in prison at the time of writing this. He is telling this church to remember how far he had gone in spreading the gospel, the good news of Jesus. Don’t forget, he says, so that your faith may be spurred on. It was meant to help motivate and encourage them to keep going. So the message for us here is, don’t stop. When you want to give up reading the Bible, don’t stop. When you want to give up praying for your loved ones or blow up in a really difficult situation, don’t stop doing the right thing. Keep praying. Keep persevering. These struggles might be like chains holding you down but if you’re doing the right thing, God will give you the strength and honor your faith.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Word and how You lead us in how to pray and how to love those around us. Stir in my heart today a desire to pray earnestly for my family, my friends, my neighbors, my Church, and my community. I want to draw closer to You, Father, in the communion of prayer. Holy Spirit, will You strengthen my spirit, perfecting my desires, and steadying my resolve to choose Your way for my life. I want to be fully confident that I am following and holding fast to the whole will of God. I want holy security in my relationship with You, Jesus, and peace of mind that I may be bold in my requests, God, and bold with others in sharing Your Gospel message. Help me to remember Paul’s chains, and the chains of saints who have served You til death, that I may not give up in the struggle or difficult situations. In Jesus’ name, Amen.