Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. (Colossians 4:1)
1.Give your staff proper salaries. Salaries that are just and fair
2.Ensure that their salaries on time
Here Apostle Paul was establishing a relationship between the way we treat those who are serving under us and the way we are treated by our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Although we often fail to see this connection, there is a definite link between the way we are treated and the way we treat others. That should cause us to be more merciful.
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2)
1. Continue
Have you ever gone through a period in your life when you were tempted to give up on something you were praying for because the answer seemed too long in coming?
Being an intercessor feels like a thankless job. Hardly does anyone notice you unlike the worship leaders and the preacher. And yet the intercessor is very close to the heart of God. There are times when an intercessor goes through a period where they feel tempted to give up on intercession and move on to greener pastures.
One of the greatest lies of the devil is that your intercession is not bearing fruit; it is not making an impact. The truth is completely otherwise.
The Holy Spirit says to you, “Continue and don’t stop interceding. You are making a powerful impact in the realm of the Spirit.” If you stop, things might get worse and out of hand.
2. Be Earnest in Prayer
Being earnest in prayer means not praying out of a sense of mere duty or burden but rather knowing that you are accomplishing the will of God when you are interceding.
3. Being Vigilant in Prayer
An intercessor is often likened to a watchman on the wall in scripture.(Read Isaiah 62:6) If a watchman is sleeping, he cannot see nor hear and thus he cannot warn those for whom he keeps watch.
A vigilant intercessor is very important to God. A vigilant intercessor does not only pray during intercession but has already sharpened his spiritual muscles earlier in the day through personal prayer. Such an intercessor has the ability to enter the prophetic dimension of prayer where he or she can see and hear what the Lord is saying and doing.
4. Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is very important to an intercessor as this not only touches the heart of the Lord but it also influences the heart of the intercessor who does the thanking. Thanksgiving keeps an intercessor from pride and gives glory to the Lord.
meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains (Colossians 4:3)
Apostle Paul always asked intercessors to pray for him and the team.
Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. (Colossians 4:7)
"Legend has it that Tychicus became bishop of Chalcedon in Asia Minor, and died a martyr" ("Everyone in the Bible" by William Barker, p. 346).
with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here. (Colossians 4:9)
Onesimus was the converted runaway slave mentioned in the book of Philemon. He became a faithful and beloved Christian brother of the Apostle Paul. He was a Colossian and accompanied Tychicus in the reporting of Paul's affairs and the delivery of this letter
The name Onesimus means "profitable, helpful" (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon). Paul, in a letter to Philemon, seemed to make a play on these words when he said, "Who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me" (Phm 11, New King James Version).
Paul had never met the Colossians in person. However, he fostered a relationship with them through the messengers (namesly Tychicus and Onesimus) who had heard the Gospel from him and relayed it to the Colossians. This illustrates the important truth that communication is important to relationships.
And when this epistle has been read before you, [see] that it is read also in the assembly (the church) of the Laodiceans, and also [see] that you yourselves in turn read the [letter that comes to you] from Laodicea. (Colossians 4:16)
Paul's instruction to the Colossians to have the Laodiceans read this letter and that they, in turn, were to read the letter Paul had written to the Laodiceans illustrates that the truths contained in this epistle are not limited to just the Colossians. Any believer can benefit from these truths. This letter is to all Christians of all times.
Some bible scholars are of the view that the original letter to the Laodiceans written by Paul was lost.