vs. 9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may…
As I have already shared, Paul here shows us his commitment to prayer. Since the time he hears of a group of saints he prays for them. He encourages the subjects of his prayer by sharing with them what he is praying for, and remembers them long after he first hears of them.
vs. 9 …be filled with the knowledge of His will…
To know God’s will is of the uttermost importance. It is vain to try to serve God without knowing what He desires of us.
Romans 12
2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Acts 22
10"And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.'
This knowledge of God’s will is not a mystical knowledge, Paul clearly speaks against this in chapter 2. Nor is it simply intellectual, for the unbeliever, nominal Christian and Satan for that manner can believe many true things about God which do not result in salvation. The knowledge Paul points to is powerful in the believer’s life to produce the fruits given in verse 10. ‘It results from fellowship with God and leads to deeper fellowship. Hence, this clear knowledge is heart-transforming and life-renewing’ (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
Proverbs 1
7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
vs. 9… in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…
The knowledge of God’s will must be in spiritual wisdom and understanding. ‘Such wisdom is the ability to use the best means to reach the highest goal, a life to God’s glory. It amounts to understanding that is at once spiritual and practical’ (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
A beautiful description of this wisdom is found in James.
James 3
17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
vs. 10 …so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects …
This phrase ‘walk in a manner worthy of the Lord’ appears several times in the New Testament. Each time it is accompanied by some of the attributes which the author believes are fitting this worthy life.
Ephesians 4
1Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
3being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Philippians 1
27Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
28in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.
1 Thessalonians 2
10You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers;
11just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children,
12so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
These scriptures give us an excellent model for the godly Christian life. May we strive to accomplish these things in our own lives by God’s grace.
‘That this God-glorifying conduct will actually be the result of being filled with clear knowledge of His will is easy to see, for the more God’s children know Him, the more they will also love Him; and the more they love Him, the more they will also wish to obey Him in though, word and deed’ (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
1 Corinthians 10
31Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
vs. 10 …bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…
The gospel was said to be ‘constantly bearing fruit and increasing’ in Colossians 1:6 in the Colossian believers and in all the world. How does this fruit in good works come about?
Ephesians 2
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
The starting point and the result of a God-pleasing life is knowledge of God.
Proverbs 4
8But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.
vs. 11 …strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might…
To know God strengthens a believer in whatever circumstances he may find himself.
Philippians 4
11Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
12I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
As I shared last time, this image of power and might is given more detail in Ephesians.
Ephesians 1
19and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
vs. 11 … for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience…
Steadfastness and patience are here referred to as the by-products of the strength and power which God gives His children, as well as growing in the knowledge of Him. I know that I need the God to grow me in this area of my life! How do we respond to affliction, suffering, persecution, setbacks? Do we respond in anger, passion, with a quick tongue? We should not be characterized by these things. Thankfully this steadfastness and patience is God-given.
Romans 15
5Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,
Galatians 5
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Let us eagerly pursue these things!
vs. 11-14 …joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
‘Due to strength imparted by God, believers are able, even in the midst of tribulation, to give thanks with joy and to rejoice with thanksgiving. It is to the Father that this thanks is given, for it was He who through His beloved Son freely gives us all things’ (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
God has done great things.
When we look at Paul’s prayer we see what is possible in the life of a believer. We see the glorious riches which are available to all who call on the name of the Lord. I hope that you can reflect on your own life in light of this example of a God-honouring believer. I know that I fall short in every area, but praise God that He can work these things in me. Let us seek to become more like this example, for we will be becoming more like Christ.
When we look at this as an example of prayer it shows us how high we can aim when we lift our fellow believers to the Lord in prayer. We can ask for these things, because God’s might is indeed glorious and can accomplish these things. Let us give thanks to the Father for what He has done and what He can do!
God bless, Taliah.
Thank you for another good study, Taliah. I am sorry about this belated comment (but better late than never :-). I've been thinking some more about the prayer part of it, and also about Meredith's study on prayer (so this comment relates to both of you). Why is prayer is so important, and how is it made effective?
ReplyDeleteI have always felt that it is a great privilege to be part of God's work by sharing in it through prayer. Watchman Nee once put it this way: God allows us to put down the train tracks under His instruction (by prayer), and then He pushes the train along those tracks. That always reminds me to pray according to HIS will.
And then there is the verse in James 5:16: "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." In my early days, I thought I had to pray fervently, i.e. with great enthusiasm. But then I looked it up in the original Greek one day and discovered that the word 'fervent' isn't actually in the original!
Instead, a literal translation would read like this: "The prayer of a righteous one has great strength (much force, avails much, can do much, can do great things), having been made to work effectually (or, having been made effective). The implication is that it is God who makes our prayers effective, not the fervency or depth of faith of our prayers themselves. It seems that some sections of contemporary Christian culture might do well to consider this distinction.
Thanks for the stimulus of both your studies. Just voicing my thoughts...
May our wonderful heavenly Father bless you all richly!