Grace Be With You

“I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.” - Colossians 4:18

I recently wrapped up a study on the book of Colossians. One of the last questions in the study involved the very last verse in the book: “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you (Colossians 4:18).” The question asked, “How does Paul’s closing benediction of grace encapsulate the central message of the gospel and its implications on Christian life?” At first, I was totally lost. How could four final words summarize the entire gospel? As I was pondering this, I visualized a pipe open on both ends flowing with crystal clear water, and understood. The Christian life requires grace in every moment, grace for ourselves, grace for others. Every day, we should be open conduit for grace. Daily receiving, daily giving to the world. A constant flow, in and out. It reminds me of an old refrain from a hymn penned in 1900. “Channels only, blessed Master, but with all Thy wondrous pow’r, flowing through us, Thou canst use us, every day and every hour.”