colossians 4:3

"continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving, 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, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.  walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.  let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt that you may know how you ought to answer each one."

what powerful directions paul left the colossians with.  i'm no theologian, but i've been saved by god's grace and mercy and because of that am able to understand the directions he has allowed to permeate through paul over time.  but a lot of times, understanding, even believing, and then living it out are very different and very difficult things. 

one thing is for certain: throughout the new testament (and i only reduce it to that because my knowledge of the OT is even much more limited than that of the NT) we are encouraged, reminded, and actually required to supplicate our prayer with adamant thanksgiving.  in phil 4:6, paul encourages us to present our prayers to the lord with our thanksgivings.  in eph. 5:20 as well as 1 thes. 5:16-17, paul reminds us to give thanks to the lord through everything, in ALL things.  not just the things we've been blessed with or by, but things that may at the time be seen as obstacles, hindrances, impediments, nuisances, flaws, faults, and just plain pains in the rear.  in short, the epistles are littered with reference to thankfulness yet its so often lost in the day-to-day grind. 

instead of being irritable in the 90 degree weather because my car a/c decided to go out, i should be thankful i don't have to walk to and from work and errands.  instead of complaining about picking up others slack at work, i should be thankful that i have a job and the opportunity to support myself.  instead of being grumpy because i couldn't get that extra hour of sleep last night, i should be thankful for the roof over my head, the climate control, the amazing bed and sheets i'm able to sleep on, and the fact i don't have to worry about mosquitoes passing malaria on to me in exchange for a midnight snack while i sleep.

we have plenty to be thankful for, and we need to lift those prayers of thanksgiving up to the Lord so he can see were not taking his blessings for granted. 

my intention with this blog is to continue on a different aspect of this verse for the rest of the week, allowing me to truly meditate on the heart of the message that paul is trying to relay.  paul lived and died for his faith.  these are nuggets of wisdom from a sapient man that have endured time and the devil, and have lived on after two millennium; i'm certain i've missed the mark several times, and tho i may never get it right, thats one thing i love about the bible: each time you read it, something new sticks out.  or better yet, something old takes on a new and fresh meaning.