Do you have someone praying for you like Epaphras did?  If so, you are blessed.  
If not, don’t worry start planting seeds of prayer yourself and in time you will reap 
a harvest of righteousness.  Are you praying for others like he did?  If so, continue 
and never cease.  We all need prayer to keep us strong in the Lord.  If not, start 
today and watch how God changes things.


In Christ's Love,
Elizabeth Marks
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Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, 

will tell you all the news about me. 8 I am sending him to you for this very 

purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, 9 

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 4:7-9 

NKJV

 Fellowship and a sense of belonging are beautiful things.  God designed us to need 

each other.  Here we have examples of how Tychicus and Onesimus were helpful to 

the fellowship.  

 Tychicus was a beloved brother, so apparently he got along with a lot folks.  He was 

also described as a faithful minister, so we know he was consistent in his walk with 

Christ.  He was a fellow servant in the Lord as well.  To me that means he was humble 

and willing to serve wherever was needed.  Onesimus was a faithful and beloved brother, 

so he was consistent and loving also.  He was considered “one of you”, meaning he was 

part of the Colossians – he belonged.  Do people describe us this way?  If not, why? 

All of us believers are joined together as one body and called the body of Christ.  

1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”    

Since we are connected with the body, we suffer when others suffer and we rejoice 

when others rejoice.  We are no longer operating based just on what we think alone.  

Now we consult with the Lord, just as we would consider our spouse’s opinion when 

making a decision that affects everyone. We operate not based on the law, but based 

on love.  Look at Romans 7:4: “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to 

the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who 

was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.”  

 When God calls us to bear fruit, He also equips.  Each one is given special abilities 

appropriate for building up the body. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 “But the manifestation of 

the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of 

wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 

9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 

10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of 

spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 

11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually 

as He wills.”  So we have been given these gifts to bear fruit to God.  

How’s it going?  Do you know what your gifts are?  Are you using your gifts for the 

glory of God and building up the body of Christ?  If not, I encourage you to read 

1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 to consider what gifts the Holy Spirit has given you.  

Pray and ask God to reveal where you should begin using your gift.  It’s all part of the 

process of becoming who God wants you to be.   I tell you from my own experience, 

as you step out in faith and begin using your gifts, you will be blessed in ways you never 

thought possible.  

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, 

love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. 20 Children, obey your 

parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not 

provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey 

in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as 

men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, 

do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord 

you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for[a] you serve the Lord Christ. 

25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no 

partiality. Colossians 3:18-25 NKJV

Before we begin, I’m sure after reading the verses above, there are some who don’t 

really want to read the rest of this article.  That’s okay.  Sometimes scripture can be 

difficult to take.  Actually, it’s not really the scripture, it’s our own heart that has the 

problem.  If you’re struggling right now, stop and pray.  Ask God to give you courage 

to read and wisdom to understand His Word without fear and condemnation.  God will 

reveal what you need to know. 

God lays out in His Word, the things which we enable us to live an abundant life.  His 

Word is like a mirror that shows us for who we really are. James 1:22-24 says “But be 

doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a 

hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 

24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”  

Not only does He shows us, God also provides His Spirit to help us change where we 

need changing.  God, in His wisdom and grace, designed us with free will, enabling us to 

decide whether we want this help from the Holy Spirit and want to follow His ways or not.  

Today’s section of scripture talks about basic ground rules regarding obedience.  The first 

thing I notice about this list is who it’s addressed to: wives, husbands, children, fathers and 

bondservants.  That tells me that God places a huge priority on families and relationships.  

Verses 18 – 19 go together and outline the proper working order of marriage.  When wives 

choose to submit to their husbands as to the Lord, they are giving the husband the respect 

that he needs.   It’s a necessity for the man to feel he is respected.  Likewise, when husbands 

love their wives at Christ loved the church, the woman is given what she needs, which is love.  

When both wife and husband are obeying the Lord, the full expression of God may be visible 

in their marriage.  I can honestly say I know what it’s like to not follow this (my life without 

Christ) and I know what it’s like to follow this (my new life with Christ) and it is glorious!!!  

You can read more about marriage responsibilities in Ephesians 5:22-33.

Next we move on to parent child relationships. If you’re parent like I am, I’m pretty sure you 

could list out several reasons why it’s important for children to obey their parents.  However, 

we’re only going to focus on “the one” reason: it’s well pleasing to the Lord.  All through the 

bible we’re told to obey the Lord in what we do.  Why?  Because He made us and He wants 

to see us live abundantly.  He stands ready to pour out blessings on us, but we stubbornly refuse 

to follow His ways that lead to those blessings.  

When you stop to think about your relationship with your child, you are watching a scene 

that resembles your relationship with God.  Let me give you an example.  A couple weeks 

ago, my son had a day off from school.  My son had been working so hard adjusting to a 

new school and homework routines, I wanted to do something fun to celebrate his achievement. 

We had decided to go to Disneyland, but the deal was he had to finish all his homework.  

I was so excited about the trip and continued praying that he would complete his responsibility 

so we would be able to go.  It would have broken my heart not to be able to do this for him.  

This in a very small way is like God and us.  He outlines what He expects from us, He tells us 

there’s rewards for following through and He waits expectantly for us to do what He has said 

so He can bless us. YES, He’s disappointed when we don’t follow through but I think He’s also 

disappointed that He is not able to bless us because of disobedience.

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will 

not depart from it.”  In the process of training a child, fathers have a tendency to go overboard.  

Look at verse 21 above, it says fathers are not to provoke their children, so they children won’t 

become discouraged.  How we speak to our children is important.  We don’t want to discourage 

them.  Fathers need to take extra precautions to be sensitive to their children.  When I was 

going through Saddleback Church’s Celebrate Recovery program, they asked a lot of questions 

about my relationship with my dad.  I didn’t understand at first, but studies have suggested how we 

relate to our dad plays an important part in how we start out relating to God.  Yikes, I thought, but 

that’s a story for another time. We need to remember as a parent, we can help a child grow in Christ 

and have a right relationship with God.  We can help them or hinder them, the choice is yours.

Not to leave anyone out, bondservants are mentioned next.  They are to obey their earthly masters 

out of reverence for God, knowing their real master is God Himself.   All of us, no matter what category 

we belong to, need to remember verses 23-24.  Whatever we do, do it as if we’re doing it for the Lord, 

no matter what it is we’re asked to do.  Remember, it’s God who put us under someone’s authority 

and He expects us to be obedient to them.  Jesus said he’d never seen faith like that of the Centurion 

in Matthew 8:8-10.  The centurion had said he know what it meant to be under authority.  Read the 

story today, it might help you understand how we should conduct ourselves under authority. 

The last verse has two meanings for me.  First, it indicates that those who choose to do wrong will be 

dealt with.  That should serve as a warning to us, not to do wrong.  Second it should help alleviate any 

burden we carry around with us regarding those times when wrong is done to us.  Knowing that 

wrong-doing will be repaid by the Lord, should help us to forgive and turn it over to Him.  God never 

asks us to forgive someone else more than He’s already forgiven you.  In the Lord’s prayer found in 

Luke 11:3-5, we are given an example to follow regarding forgiveness: “Give us day by day our daily 

bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead 

us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

In conclusion, God’s outline for obedience is a wise thing to follow.  How well are you following it today?

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in 

psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And 

whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the 

Father through Him. Colossians 3:16-17 NKJV

I love this verse!  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, is my favorite part.  I first heard this verse at a 

woman’s retreat a few years ago.  It has stuck with me since then.  Shouldn’t this be our prayer?  Let the 

word of Christ dwell in us richly.  We know from 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of 

God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man 

of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  When we allow God’s Word to 

penetrate our being, it changes us and the word of God becomes most treasured and sought after.  For me, 

the more I read, the more I need!  What about you?  Do you find the more you read, the more you want of 

God’s Word?

As we just discussed, the first aspect of God’s Word is to “let it dwell in us richly”.  Why is it important to 

allow God’s Word to dwell in us?  It’s important for many reasons, but we’re going to look at the just five 

reasons:

1) That we may be filled with wisdom

2) To be able to teach others about God

3) To admonish and encourage others

4) To worship and praise our God 

5) To align our hearts with God’s will

How does one obtain wisdom?  First, one must know God.  Proverbs 1:7 says “The fear of the LORD is 

the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  Second, one must trust God enough 

to ask Him. James 1:5 says “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and 

without reproach, and it will be given to him.”  

Why do we need to teach others about God?  God does take pleasure in the death of the wicked.  As a 

result, He wants His Word shared with everyone that they may come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  

2 Timothy 2:24-26 “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 

25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they 

may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having 

been taken captive by him to do his will.”

Encouragement is something everyone needs at one time or another.  Look at what Jude 1:19-21 says “But 

you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves 

in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”  We need others in our 

lives to help us keep going, to remind us and to not loose hope, to stay the course and stay alert.  Also 

remember that sometimes we need to be disciplined to bring us back in-line with God’s ways.  It’s important 

to know the Word, so rebuking someone is done with godly love.  Galatians 6:1 teaches us: “Brethren, if a 

man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering

yourself lest you also be tempted.”

Worship helps us keep the proper perspective.  He is God, we are not.  His ways are higher than our ways, 

His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). From the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:2-4, we 

see God telling us “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Our God deserves all the glory.  He loved us 

enough to die for us while we were still enemies trapped in sin (Romans 5:8)!  Worship and praise should 

come quite easily to the child of God, who has become to grasp what God has done for them.    

Abiding in His love, reading His Word, letting it change us inside continues the process of aligning our will 

with His will.  1 John 2:5-6 “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this 

we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

As we let word of Christ dwell in us, the result is that everything we say and do will be done in Jesus’ name 

for His glory.  Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

What about you, are you letting God’s Word dwell in you today? 

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, 

humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one 

another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so 

you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of 

perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were 

called in one body; and be thankful. Colossians 3:12-15 NKJV

This verse is chalked full of godly living, isn’t it.  Thankfully, we don’t have to try to live this 

way on our power.  Can you imagine how exhausting it would be to do all these things by our 

own effort?  Christ, who not only forgave us, gave us eternal life with the Father, but also gave 

to us His Holy Spirit to bring about this kind of living from within us.  

Look at the first verse.  Paul starts out by building up the Colossian’s confidence with say “the 

elect of God” and “holy and beloved”.  That’s where we need to start too.  It’s all about what 

God’s done, not was we’ve done.  God has chosen us.  Jesus confirmed this in John 15:16 when 

He said “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear 

fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give 

you.” He has adopted us into His family according to Ephesians 1:5 “having predestined us to adoption 

as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself”.  Also in Ephesians 1:4-6 it is written that we are to be holy and 

blameless before Him and accepted in the Beloved.

Next we see Paul using that action phrase again “put on”.  All of these things mentioned here are to be 

put on, much like we’d put on a piece of clothing.  First you decide what you want to wear and then 

you put it on.  That’s what we do with these.  We decide we will walk by the Spirit and we consciously 

decide to offer tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, patience; bearing with one another, and 

forgiving each other.  This is not something that happens overnight, but it is in the process of putting these 

on, that we grow in Christ’s character every day.

Above all these things, we are asked to put on love, which is the bond of perfection.  God is love.  

1 John 4:18 tells us “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. 

But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”  With God there is no torment, only perfect love.  

His love endures forever.  The more we grasp God’s love, the more we display God’s love in our lives. 

Paul continues with “let the peace of God rule in your heart”.  Have you experienced the peace of God in 

your life?  I have from time to time.  It’s a most wonderful peacefulness, calmness, serenity and almost 

unexplainable event.  For me I have yet to learn how to maintain that peace.  It’s comes and goes, but that’s 

only an indicator for me that my focus is constantly shifting from God to other things.  When my focus is on 

other things, the peace slips away.  Philippians 4:6-8 teaches us to “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything 

by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of 

God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Let us be thankful and remember we are all one body.  We were made to need each other.  Therefore, let us 

not forsake meeting together as Hebrews 10:24-25 tell us: “And let us consider one another in order to stir up 

love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but 

exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice,
blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another,
since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the
new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who
created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor
uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in
all. Colossians 3:8-11 NKJV

It’s easy to point out others’ sin, isn’t? Did you know when you point out
others’ sin you’re really pointing out your sin that you see in them?
That’s why it’s so easy to spot. You know it well, because you deal with it
yourself. I heard a pastor teaching one time say “You want to point out
someone’s flaws? Go ahead. Just remember, when you point at them, you’ve
got three fingers pointing back at you.” That’s good to remember.

Jesus taught us to deal with our own issues before trying to help others in
Matthew 7:3-5 “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but
do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your
brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in
your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and
then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

How can we possibly give advice about something, if we ourselves have never
go through it ourselves? You can, but most likely people won’t listen
because you’re not creditable. Jesus taught us to consider first our own
state. He reminds us to remember where we came from, to keep us humble.
When advice is given humbly, the receiving person is much more likely to
hear the message. If you have been there and can share your experience of
how God helped you, then you bring hope to the other person’s situation.

Paul is saying something similar in today’s verse. When he said “you
yourselves are to put off all these”, I think he was referring to your own
personal conduct. We can only control our own bodies, mind and tongue, not
other peoples’. Notice the action in the saying? It’s deliberate. A
choice one must make. A conscience effort to put away all that would lead
to death.

Once we’ve put off the old man, we then put on the new man who is renewed in
knowledge according to Him who created him. In other words, the new man is
a spirit-led individual who receives knowledge from God. Romans 12:2 says
we are to be renewed in the mind by allowing God to change the way we think.
We do that when we choose to walk by the spirit and not be the lust of the
flesh. (Galatians 5:16).

In conclusion, we must remember that Christ is all and in all. That means
that it is by His power that I am able to do all things (Philippians 4:13).

Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For
though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to
see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you
therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and
built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught,
abounding in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:4-7 NKJV

Have you ever been deceived with persuasive words? How do you become
deceived? Someone tells you something that sounds like the truth and may have some
truth in it, but ultimately it is not the whole truth and you believe it.

We know where these lies come from, don’t we? Jesus said this about satan in
John 8:43-45 “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in
the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks
from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

If you were a carpenter you would not take someone’s word that the cut is
straight or measure correctly, you would measure and cut it yourself to make
sure it is exactly right otherwise the item you’re building could come out
all wrong and would be wasteful of all that time and material.

How do you know you’re being deceived by some who teaches the Word of God?
You find out for yourself. Search the scriptures to know if it’s true, like
the Bereans did ( Acts 17:11 ) when they heard the gospel. I would expect
you’d do the same with this article. Look up the verses for yourself, to
make sure they are not twisted out of context.

We need not fear though. John 8:31-32 “Then Jesus said to those Jews who
believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” We also have the
Holy Spirit guiding us in all truth ( John 16-13 ).

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been
taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” Did you notice the process
outlined here? First you receive Christ Jesus the Lord, then you walk in
Him. Next your become rooted, grounded and built up in Him, which
establishes your faith and ultimately brings thanksgiving.

How do you “walk in Him”? Follow His examples and obey His commands.
Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh.” How do you become rooted and built up in Him?
Read His Word and be transformed in your thinking ( Romans 12:2 ). Keep
your focus on Him and His ways and be watchful of His activities in your
life. How about being established in faith? Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him
in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

There are many practical ways to do the things outlined above. Read your
bible daily. Join a bible study. Talk about what you learn with other
believers. Keep a prayer journal, noting when the answers come. Start
thanking God for who He is. Keep your thoughts focused on things that are
lovely, pure, true, praise worthy, excellent and of good repute (
Philippians 4:8-9 ).

Let me leave you with Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and
He shall direct your path.”