Colossians 4:2–6

When Paul asked the Colossian believers to pray for him, he didn’t ask them to pray that his chains would be removed. He didn’t ask for a larger audience, greater influence, or an easier assignment. Instead, he asked them to pray that “God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ” (v. 3), and that he would make that message “clear, which is how I ought to speak” (v. 4).

Paul understood why God had called him. His life had a purpose beyond making a living, building a reputation, or gathering a crowd. God had entrusted him with a message, and he wanted to proclaim it faithfully and clearly.

There is a difference between speaking because you have a microphone and speaking because God has given you something to say.

Some preach from an itch—a desire to be seen, to be heard, or simply because they enjoy standing in front of people. Others preach from inspiration informed by revelation. They have spent time with God. They have wrestled with His Word. They have received something that first shaped their own hearts before it ever reached the ears of others.

There is nothing more tedious than listening to someone who has the microphone but has nothing to say. Conversely, there is nothing more compelling than hearing someone whose words are born out of communion with Christ and whose heart burns with the truth God has entrusted to them.

Whether we preach, teach, lead a meeting, counsel a family, or simply encourage a friend, the question is the same: Has God given me something to say? Ministry is not sustained by personality, position, or platform. It is sustained by people who have been with Jesus and have become faithful stewards of His message.

May we never confuse having an audience with having an assignment. Like Paul, may our greatest concern be that God opens doors for His Word and grants us the grace to speak it with clarity, faithfulness, and love. –PGR