C. H. Spurgeon once told of an event from the glory days of Rome. A severe famine struck the North African colonies, and the people were starving. One day ships appeared on the horizon. The sight sent waves of hope through the city. “Caesar has sent help!” they cried. “There is hope for us!”
But when the ships docked and the cargo was unloaded, the people discovered something devastating. The ships were not filled with grain. They were filled with sawdust. Sawdust to cushion the floors of circuses Rome was exporting.
The people needed bread.
They received spectacle.
They longed for nourishment.
They got entertainment.
That story feels painfully modern. Many are starving for truth, yet what often arrives is distraction. There is no shortage of noise, but there is a shortage of substance.
When we come to the Epistle to the Colossians, however, we do not find sawdust. We find bread. Colossians is not light fare. It is not sentimental fluff. It is a polemic epistle. It argues for truth in a city infiltrated by untruths and subjective spirituality. Paul writes to anchor believers in something solid.
Now we move into the text.
Colossians 1:1–3
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,
To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.
Notice first Paul’s authority.
“An apostle… by the will of God.”
Paul did not appoint himself. He did not build a platform. His calling was not self generated. It was by the will of God. That matters in a city filled with competing voices. Truth must come from divine commission, not personal ambition.
Notice next his audience.
“To the saints and faithful brethren.”
They were not elite mystics. They were ordinary believers set apart in Christ. Faithful. That word suggests consistency. Not perfection. Steadiness.
And then the greeting.
“Grace… and peace.”
Grace always precedes peace. Peace is not achieved by effort. It flows from grace received.
Now look at Paul’s response to what he had heard about them.
“We give thanks… praying always for you.”
Paul had never been to Colosse. Yet he rejoiced when he heard of their faith. He did not grow competitive. He did not grow passive.
He gave thanks.
And he prayed.
Here is the application.
Most of us pray urgently when someone is failing. That is good. That is needed. But Paul also prayed consistently for those who were thriving.
Why?
Because fruit draws attack.
The Enemy does not ignore healthy believers. He aims at them.
When you hear that someone is walking well, leading faithfully, serving fruitfully, do not assume they are fine. Thank God for them. Intercede for them. Ask that their roots go deeper. Ask that their witness remain intact.
Ships full of sawdust may entertain for a moment.
But truth sustains.
And prayer protects those who are feeding on that truth.
Be like Paul.
Give thanks.
Pray always.
And make sure what you offer others is bread, not spectacle.