October 22, 2019 FOR THIS REASON
Colossians 1: 9-10, 13 “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 be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”; “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”
These verses may sound like a spiritual ‘pipe dream’- too good to be true it seems. What believer would not want to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding-and be able to live in a way that pleases the Lord-to please Him in all respects-bearing fruit in every good work-and increasing in the knowledge of God? We can be assured that this is not a ‘pipe dream’ but is actually God’s plan for every believer. Paul’s prayer for the early believers is also a prayer for us. All of these blessing Paul is praying for are not achieved or realized or experienced by our own effort; we do not ‘fill’ ourselves. At the same time, we are not robots; we have a will and we have the power of choice-so we have a part to play. Jesus said on numerous occasions that if we seek Him first, we would find Him-that is our part. If it is our deepest desire to know Him, we will naturally read the scriptures in which He reveals Himself to us. As we seek Him first and as we search the scriptures, we begin to discover our true identity and all of the things He has done on our behalf. We learn that we have been transferred from the domain of darkness and transferred to His kingdom- and life in His kingdom is awesome! What may have sounded like a spiritual pipe dream, or what sounded impossible, becomes a reality for us when we discover our true identity. Before discovering our identity in Christ, we live on a spiritual roller-coaster, doing our best to be a ‘good’ Christian, and trying our best to keep the commandments of God. The good news is that God has made us new creations, the old things have passed away-we are new! Now, He has filled us with the desire to please Him in all we do-He does fill us with the knowledge of His will-He does give us spiritual wisdom and understanding-and we do bear fruit in every good work-and, we can keep increasing in the knowledge of God. May it be our deepest desire to learn of Him and to discover our identity in Him-who He says we are. He gave His Son that we might be delivered from darkness and transferred to His kingdom where we live it the light-the light of who He is and who we are in Him. If we hunger to know Him, the Holy Spirit in us makes all of these things a reality. God is faithful; He wants us to know Him and He wants us to discover life in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Ephesians 1:18-19b “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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