DEVOTION - Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. - Colossians 4:2. A call to devotional, vigilant prayer. And once again, keep it thankful! There are two parts to this verse, the devotion and the vigil. Both have become recognizable rituals in many faith communities in which prayer is central, but we tend to think of devotions as a daily routine while the prayer vigil is typically reserved for an extreme instance, when someone is missing or sick or at death's door. But why not combine the two? I will be the first to admit that my set-aside time for devotions is not as daily as it should be, but maybe more vigilance, more awareness of the daily presence of God, is what I need to make it so. We are encouraged by no less than the Lord's prayer. In teaching us to pray, Jesus intended our prayer to be daily, at Matthew 6:11: "Give us this day our daily bread." The early Christians made it routine, too, and with a decidedly thankful s...