Our New Testament lesson (Colossians 4) talks about seasoning our conversations with salt. The Old Testament sacrifices were seasoned with salt. May our every conversation be an offering to our gracious God, seasoned with the salt of God’s grace, and used by him to draw people around us closer to the Savior. 

If you read my blogs regularly, you know that my constant prayer is, “Lord, reassure me again that the tomb is empty.” The personal nature of Paul’s concluding words is the Holy Spirit’s answer to my prayer today. The personal touch reassures me the author is Paul:

• An eyewitness of the risen Christ for himself,
• An eyewitness of Jesus as the Man in whom all the fullness of God dwells (Colossians 1:19),
• An eyewitness who has heard from the risen Christ, that he is (and I am) holy, blameless, and free from accusation (Colossians 1:22).  

Notice the people with Paul…  

• Tychicus – This man ties the prison letters together. Paul refers to him at the end of Ephesians too. He is the one who carries the letters to their recipients.
• Onesimus – The runaway slave whom Paul returns to his master. The letter to Philemon which we will read in a few days is the third “prison letter” that Paul wrote during his first imprisonment in Rome. Taste the salt of God's grace in Onesimus' actions. Onesimus is a powerful example of what faith in the risen Christ leads us to do. He wronged Philemon by becoming a runaway slave. Now he is going back willingly to make right that wrong. Give me that Onesimus courageous faith... to do all that I can to make it right when I have wronged someone.
• Mark, the cousin of Barnabas – Do you taste the salt of God’s grace? This is the Mark who deserted Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. Paul didn’t trust him and didn’t want him on his second missionary journey. Yet, here is a man whose past failures are forgiven and becomes a trusted co-worker with Paul. Do you see in Mark a model of hope for you? Taste and enjoy the salt of God’s grace!
• Luke – The Gentile who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. Luke is the one who records Mark’s initial failure. Luke as the first church historian doesn’t sugar-coat church history. He acknowledges failures (Mark’s desertion and Paul and Barnabas’ falling out with each other). Even history is an opportunity to taste the salt of law and gospel for ourselves.
• Nympha – A woman unknown to history but known to Paul and whose ministry as a spiritual leader is remembered and appreciated. The New Testament Church values the gifts and abilities and service of the women in our midst. May our New Testament Church of today be seasoned with that salt.

Finally, notice how Paul reassured his first readers this was a legitimate letter from him. On the original document, he wrote the last line himself so that they would recognize his handwriting. 

The four references to prayer in this chapter is comforting to me today. Epaphras is my role model. In Colossians 1 we meet him as the one who taught the Colossians about Jesus and is now serving Paul in his Roman imprisonment.

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you.

I love this... separated by 1000 miles, Epaphras remains an important part of the Colossians' life and ministry.

Lord, let my time be seasoned with the salt of God's grace in prayer! As I drive, as I sit alone in a silent time, as I lie awake at night, let my heart and mind unite with others in prayer.

• As a grandpa, I can always serve each of my grandchildren as I wrestle in prayer for them.
• As a friend and neighbor, I can be wrestling in prayer for those around me. Today I am praying the Lord bless my efforts to invite them to our Grand Opening next Sunday.
• As a coworker in the gospel, I can be united with each of the teachers in our child care center and school as I wrestle in prayer for the teachers and each of their students.

What a privilege to be a prayer wrestler no matter where I am! I taste anew the salt of God's grace in this gift of prayer.

The fact that our prayers are essential is revealed in one last name from Colossians 4. Demas was with Paul and sent greetings. But near the end of Paul’s life, his story changes. “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:10). 

Lord, season me with your salt so I don't falter like Demas.

Our Old Testament Lesson

In our Old Testament lesson (Isaiah 31-33)  the LORD provides the seasoning of law and gospel.

• Law: Calling the Israelites to repentance for trusting in the Egyptians to protect them from the Assyrians. 
• Gospel: The LORD promising to arise in power to give his people peace. “No one living in Zion will say, ‘I am ill’; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven” (Isaiah 33:22). 

There are so many refreshing pictures in this section. I pray you have time to read this section over several times and see the treasures we have in the LORD our God.

The one that caught my attention today is:

But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand (Isaiah 32:8).

There are two tools I regularly use to explore the meaning of a passage.

• The first is the Biblegateway all translations feature.Click here to see this passage in a couple of dozen translations.
• The second is the Greek or Hebrew transliteration on Bible Hub. Click here to see this.

Bible Hub also allows you to click on one word that you want to study. I was intrigued by the use of the word "noble" three times in this lesson. Click here to see what that Hebrew word means.

You don't need to know Hebrew to benefit from this word study. I appreciated this paragraph:

Summary

נָדִיב

... weaves together rank and readiness, crown and character. Scripture esteems princes who lead sacrificially, worshipers who give freely, and a coming kingdom where nobility is defined by conformity to the generous heart of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Then I noticed that this is the same word used in the prayer of Psalm 51: "Create in my a willing (free, noble, generous) spirit."

Lord, create in me a heart that looks like yours... noble, generous.

There are so many treasures to find as we read the Bible over and over again.

"The fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure."

Isaiah’s prayer is my prayer for you: 

LORD be gracious to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
    our salvation in time of distress. Amen (Isaiah 33:2).