It often helps me during my time of personal devotions (I call them “coffee with the Lord”) to paraphrase some of the passages I read that day in the Bible. So here goes on one of the passages I read today… (I guess you’ll have to be the judge as to whether I captured the truth of the passage at all)
My personal paraphrase of Colossians 4:2-4…
Pray! Pray!! Pray!!! We are all called to a ministry of prayer! Look for things to pray about – things that need your prayer! Be sure to season your prayer liberally with thanksgiving! Especially pray for Christian leaders and faithful servants of the Lord who are serving in difficult places in our world (Note: Apostle Paul was in prison at the time he wrote this passage) – Pray that they may be effective in communicating the Gospel.”
Here’s the passage from the Bible that I attempted to paraphrase this morning for comparison…
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving! At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison — that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” (Colossians 4:2–4 ESV)
Listen… With the help of God, I’m not just going to paraphrase that passage – I’m going to seek to do it!
Coffee With The Lord 