LEARNING DAILY

 

Colossians 1:9,10, For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask and in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

 

I read this verse and my first question is what did Paul hear? What was the “it”? The answer is found in the previous verses – Paul was thankful for the faith of the those in Colosse and their love for Paul in the Spirit. It is because of that, Paul prays for them and desires they “be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, His wisdom and all spiritual understanding”. I am certainly not Paul; but I do try to pray for each of you who read the blog. I know some who read it because I send it directly to you. There are also some of you who have sent it on to others I do not know by name because every once in a while, I get a reply from someone I did not know. Thank you for sending it and please continue to send it on if you think it will encourage and help others.

 

“That you may be filled with the knowledge of His will” is Paul’s prayer for them; it is His request for them. The rest of the passage describes the result of this request in the life of the believer. It is important for us to know that to have knowledge of God’s will is the result of spending time in prayer and spending time studying God’s Word. How else can one gain spiritual wisdom and understanding that transforms our hearts and lives? “The will and the wisdom of God are inseparably linked with saturation in the Word of God (Psalm 1:1,20. Godly wisdom is gained by studying His Word; spiritual understanding Is how his children discern His will” (note from the DJSB). 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that understanding and wisdom are gifts the Holy Spirit gives to believers; they do not come from a worldly mind. Spiritual knowledge and wisdom is given Believers to provide insight into God’s will.

 

Knowing God’s will can be very easy. God’s word is very explicit about many behaviors Believers are expected to avoid. The Ten Commandments have been given to us to follow. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus clarifies those commandments to mean what we do in our heart and speak out of our mouth. You and I will discover God’s will by spending time growing our knowledge of who He is and what He wants. Ephesians 5:17 tells us, “do not be unwise, but understand what the will of Lord is”. We spend time with His Word and in prayer in order to do that!

 

This is a mighty prayer from Paul that can help each of us to pray. Verses 9-14 tell us when we pray for others, we should pray that they 1) understand God’s will, 2) gain spiritual wisdom, 3) live holy lives pleasing to the Lord, 4) bear fruit for God, 5) be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to persevere in faith and righteousness, 7) give thanks to the father, 8) continue to hope in heaven, 9) experience the nearness of heaven, and 10) be filled with the revelation of His love. It seems to me that the more we get to know and understand who God is and His tremendous love for each of us, this knowledge becomes part of our nature allowing us to produce the character He wants in us. That character should be seen by those around us.

Let me finish today with notes from the DJSB. “Those who immerse themselves in God’s wisdom know how to persevere for the long haul and in their daily grind, not just in the moments of crisis (Ephesians 4:2). Followers of Christ do not simply endure difficulties as the world does; they triumph in them with joy because they see spiritual realities beyond their circumstances. Joyful living in the midst of difficulty is the litmus test for Christians, because its only source is God.”

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.  I have added Jimmy Swaggart’s Expositor’s Study Bible to be referred to from now on as JSESB.