Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.
Colossians 4:12,13
Today just so happens to be the day that Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor got the title he’s been after all his life. He became King Charles III. Before today, he’s had Prince of Wales title for 65 years.
While you may not have royal blood pumping through your veins, you’ve had titles throughout your life. Think back. Take a stroll down memory lane. Go back through your life and list all the different titles and job descriptions you’ve had. If you take a few minutes to list your titles, you just might be surprised.
Deciding that I shouldn’t ask you to do anything that I wasn’t willing to do myself, I looked back to all the different job titles I’ve had throughout my life. A quick count revealed that I’ve had at least 31 different titles from all the different jobs I got paid for. And just to add a little bit of spice to the list, I’ve had at least an additional 15 titles for roles that I didn’t get paid for.
Titles tell more than just what someone does. They can show us a lot about what a person’s like. Where they’ve been. What they’ve gone through. Titles can give us a window into their heart and soul.
Paul gives Epaphras[1] a very special title. He’s called a servant. Paul only calls himself and Timothy servants. Yes, there were lots and lots of people serving God and the young Christian community. Everybody was giving and helping out. But Paul saves this special title for only a very few. What made Epaphras, or Mr. E, special enough to be called a servant of Jesus Christ. Paul give us two sides of his life that prove him worthy of this important title.
Wrestling in prayer. If you cut Mr. E, he bled prayer. But not just the kinds of prayers that we throw around like a used paper tissue. No, when Mr. E prayed, he really prayed. He was presently praying for them. He got down on his knees and struggled with the problems and needs he prayed for. He put himself right into the place of the people he was praying for. He felt their pain and worked hard in prayer. He didn’t just pray for someone and then moved on. He prayed for them whenever he thought about them.
Working hard. When Mr. E was concerned for the people in Laodicea and Hierapolis, it consumed him. He was totally sold out for them. There wasn’t anything that he wasn’t willing to do for them. There was nothing he wasn’t willing to personally give up for them. He was ready to drop whatever he was doing to help them with anything they needed. And when he worked hard for them, he stayed working till it was all done. Everything was completed. He even stayed to clean up afterwards and put everything away.
It's good to have a title. It’s really helpful to know what you’re supposed to be doing. It’s even better to be working, doing what you were made to be doing. But there’s something even better. An even higher calling.
You keep working till the job is complete. Nothing distracts you from doing what you’re assigned to do. You keep your eye on the ball. You keep doing what you were made to do until the job’s done. It’s finished. And that’s exactly what Mr. E did. He kept praying and working till the people could stand firm on their own. That they could stand against the enemies and distractions that wanted to ruin them and faith in Jesus.
He wanted all the people to be mature in their faith. That they’d trust God and God alone for their needs and power for each day. Knowing that Jesus died once-and-for-all for their sins, there was no need to look back and try to get God to like them.
Mr. E didn’t want the people to just be a little bit assured. Or their assurance to come and go like the wind. No, he wanted their assurance to be filled up to the top and overflowing. He wanted their assurance to be solid like a stone wall. Like the deep foundation of a great building.
Yes, Mr. E was a servant. He understood who God made him to be and he stayed at his job till the end. He didn’t give up on God. He didn’t give up on the people he was praying for and working with. When God looks at us. When he looks into our hearts, what does he see? Or maybe the question should be, who does he see? Does he see someone who’s a committed servant for him? Or does he see someone that’s here today and gone tomorrow?
In Christ Jesus, we were made sons and daughters of God[2]. Period. There’s no changing that title. He’s given it to us at the eternally high cost of Jesus on the cross. The question is, what are we doing with it?
Does God see us wrestling in prayer for people? Or working hard for him? His people? His purpose? Are we staying faithful to the title he’s given you and me? Now that’s a question worth noodling on.
Noodling Questions
List the titles that have been given to you. Which one is most important. Why?
Is wrestling in prayer or working hard easier for you? Why?
How does being God’s child change the way you look at life?
[1] Short for Epaphroditus
[2] John 1:12
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