Read: Colossians 1:15-29
For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (v. 29)
Most of us don’t cherish the thought of toil. Working hard for a long time is taxing on the body, on the mind, and on the spirit.
The apostle Paul didn’t establish the church in Colossae as he did many others. Though he wrote to exhort this new body of believers, what prompted his letter was a visit by Epaphras while Paul was in a Roman prison.
Who was Epaphras? This lesser-known bondservant of Christ is mentioned only three times in the Bible. He’s described as a man of faith, fervent in prayer. He’s believed to have founded the church in Colossae, his hometown, following his own conversion to Christianity. He served as “a faithful minister of Christ” (v. 7), made the long and perilous trek to Rome to seek Paul’s wisdom when outside beliefs threatened the church’s health, and eventually was imprisoned for his faith.
Though Paul penned the words of Colossians 1:29, those words also applied to Epaphras. God was at work in this man, just as he is in every person who chooses to toil in faithfulness and prayer for the cause of Christ. For all we know of him, Epaphras did this willingly, confident in the eternal gains his work would produce. May we also, as lesser-known bondservants of Christ, be willing to toil in faithfulness to God and love for others!
As you pray, ask God to help you joyfully undertake the work he has for you.
Joy Petroelje serves as the Advancement Operations Manager for CURE International, a global nonprofit organization. Aside from work, she enjoys spending time with her family, coffee with friends, reading, and traveling local trails on foot.
