Being 'Watchful and Thankful' in prayer, this Christmas season.

In Colossians 4:2-6 Paul gives these instructions to the Colossian church:

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Christmas is a great time of year to celebrate what Jesus did for us by coming into this world 2000 years ago. 

We would not be here, without His sacrifice for each and every one of us.

It also is a great time to share the good news of the gospel because of the many opportunities that may come our way, in our day to day interaction and conversations, at Christmas parties, etc.

However, we can let many opportunities pass us by if we are not alert to them.

And even if we think we may not have many opportunities, we can pray for them to come our way, so that we get the chance to share the good news with those that are lost. This is a prayer that God will always answer, because His heart is to see all come to know Him!

Paul exhorts the church here to be 'watchful' in prayer.

Let's be 'watchful' in our prayer lives by:

praying that God would open a door for us to proclaim the gospel (v 3), 

that we would proclaim it clearly (v 4),

that we would be wise in our actions (v 5) because we might be the only Bible that some people read, 

that we would make the most of every opportunity and not let it slip by (v 5), that our conversations would be filled with His grace as we have the wisdom to know how to answer all questions that come our way (v 6).

Paul also exhorts us to be 'thankful' in prayer.

We have much to be thankful in prayer for this Christmas, because of what Jesus did for us by coming into this world. We also have the whole of 2019 to look back on, reflect and to be thankful for all that He's done in our lives.

If you've had a difficult year or you are facing a difficult Christmas season, I'd like to encourage you to be 'thankful' in prayer this Christmas despite your circumstances.
It's amazing to me when I am going through a difficult or challenging time, how being 'thankful' to God can change my perspective and outlook on life. 
Time and again we are exhorted to be thankful in the Bible. God has a reason for this. I believe it's because it takes the focus off ourselves and puts it on Him. It keeps us joyful and keeps our hearts tender, preventing bitterness from entering in.
In prayer, I can often start thanking God for a small or insignificant thing and before I know it, I've spent many minutes thanking Him for things I'd forgotten about, or things I hadn't seen before that He's done in my life. I'd encourage you to have a thankful attitude in prayer this Christmas and see what God does in your life. 

Let's also thank Him for what He is doing in the lives of the people around us (that we've prayed for as we were 'watchful'). Thank Him as He answers those prayers to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations.  

Have a wonderful, joyful, Christ-filled Christmas!