September 28, 2017 THE DESIRE OF GOD
Colossians 1:9b-11 “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; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
As we read this passage of scripture, internally we have to acknowledge whether or not it is a description of our life. These verses, and all of the first chapter of Colossians, are not just ‘pie in the sky’ verses, but are accurate depictions of the life that God has made available for every believer. What God has in mind for us and what God has made possible through Jesus Christ is almost beyond our imagination. We do not have to live with not knowing or not being sure of God’s will for us nor be aimless in life, because it is His desire for us “to be filled with the knowledge of His will,” and there is nothing more satisfying than knowing that we are living and operating in the will of God. Life itself demands that we make decisions, and how important it is to know the will of God for us as we make our decisions. There are times when we do not know exactly what the will of God is in a certain situation, but if it is our heart to do the thing that pleases Him, we can be confident that He will direct out steps. Life also presents opportunities where human wisdom and understanding is insufficient, but God will give us “spiritual wisdom and understanding” when our heart is turned to Him and when are desiring to do the things that please Him. By being filled with the knowledge of His will and by having spiritual wisdom and understanding, we can then walk or live in a manner that is worthy of the Lord, and thus “please Him in all respects.” When we live in the ways of God, we bear good fruit in everything we do, and we gain a greater knowledge of God. When it is our heart to please the Lord in all we do, we will be energized and strengthened with a power that comes-not from the gym-but form God! In the world in which we live there is strife and discord on every hand because man has rejected the ways of God; however, in the midst of the strife and discord, we can be steadfast and we can experience the blessings and the joy that come from walking in the ways of the Lord. Those who have placed their hope and faith in Jesus as their Savior have been adopted into the family of God and have been qualified to share in the inheritance that comes from God. Wow! We can thank God that we have been given all we need to overcome the world and to live in the light as His children in the midst of the darkness and to experience His joy in all circumstances. May we not live beneath our privilege as sons and daughters of God! God does not ‘sap’ so that we automatically have all that He has for us-it is our part to seek Him first.
Colossians 2:2-3: “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom knowledge.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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