7 Oct. Happy Families (again!)
"Wives, yield to the authority of your husbands, because this is the right thing to do in the Lord."
"Husbands, love your wives and be gentle with them"
"Children, obey your parents in all things, because this pleases the Lord."
"Fathers, do not nag your children. If you are too hard to please, they may want to stop trying."
"Slaves, obey your masters in all things. Do not obey just when they are watching you, to gain their favour, but serve them honestly, because you respect the Lord..."
"Masters, give what is good and fair to your slaves. Remember that you have a master in heaven."
"Continue praying, keeping alert and always thanking God. Also pray for us that God will give us an opportunity to tell people his message. Pray that we can preach the secret that God has made known about Christ."
"This is why I am in prison [imprisoned under house arrest]. Pray that I can speak in a way that will make it clear, as I should."
"Be wise in the way you act with people who are not believers, making the most of every opportunity. When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should."
(Colossians 3:18 - 4:6)
As you were reading these words from Paul's Letter to the Colossians, did you get the distinct feeling that you'd read almost the same words somewhere before, just a few days ago?
Well, that's because Paul's advice to the Colossians about enjoying a happy family life is almost identical to the advice we read from Paul's Letter to the Ephesians on 29th September (see Ephesians 5:1 - 6:9). It's just a bit shorter and a little more concise.
This is because Paul wrote these two letters at the same time and you can almost imagine Paul saying to his scribe, "Write the same thing about family life to the Colossians, but make it a bit shorter!"
So Paul sends virtually the same practical advice for successful family relationships: "Husbands, love your wives and be gentle with them... Fathers, do not nag your children." (Colossians 3:19 & 3:21). (Compare Ephesians 5:25 & 6:4)
Paul then encourages the believers in Colossae, like those in Ephesus, to pray at all times, and asks them to pray specifically for him: "Pray for us that God will give us an opportunity to tell people his message... Pray that I can speak in a way that will make it clear..." (Colossians 4:3-4). (Compare Ephesians 6:18-20)
The photo shows something our North American readers will be very familiar with at this time of the year - the beautiful fall colours (in the Parc national des iles-de-Boucherville near Montreal in Canada).
You can read more from Paul's Letter to the Colossians @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/practical-advice-for-bel…/