Colossians 1:9-14 ESV
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered 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.”
These words are addressed to the saints and to the faithful
Christians. And the saints are all those who have died with Christ to sin and
who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to
be like God in true righteousness and holiness. We are to be holy in all our
conduct, which means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we
are being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. And the faithful are those
of us who have remained true to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is a prayer for all of us followers of Jesus Christ who
are following him in truth and in righteousness. It is a prayer that we would
be filled with the knowledge of God’s will for our lives in all spiritual
wisdom and understanding. And we can only know his will by reading the
Scriptures in their context, and by doing the will of God as he leads us, and
by listening to and heeding the voice of the Holy Spirit when he speaks to us
and he shows us his will for our lives.
For when Jesus Christ was crucified on that cross, and then
he was resurrected from the dead, and then he ascended back to heaven, he sent
his Holy Spirit to indwell the lives of his followers. And the Holy Spirit’s
job is to teach us all things pertaining to Christ, and to counsel, encourage,
help, and empower us to live godly and holy lives to the praise of God. So the
Spirit is Jesus within us speaking to us showing us the way we should go and
gifting us with Spiritual gifts and empowering us to use those gifts.
Now God has a general calling for all of us who believe in
Jesus Christ. And we can find what that calling is by reading the Scriptures.
But the Scriptures themselves are not going to tell us what God’s specific
assignment is for each of us is within the body of Christ. So the Holy Spirit
speaks to us through the Scriptures and he shows us the specific calling God has
placed on our individual lives. And if we are walking by the Spirit in
obedience to our Lord we should be able to discern what that calling is.
But many people today are denying the Spirit’s working in
our lives and so they have cut off God’s voice from speaking to them directly
in showing them what he has for them to do as part of his body. And it limits
them to operating in the flesh and not in the Spirit, for how can we operate in
the Spirit if we block the Spirit’s voice from coming into our hearts and
minds? But do we need to be discerning? Oh, yes! For there is so much fakery
and misuse today with regard to the working of the Holy Spirit.
So, if we are relying on the Holy Spirit to speak to our
hearts and to show us God’s specific callings for us as individuals, then we
must know what the Scriptures teach so that we are not led astray by other
spirits who may be trying to speak to us, too. For whatever we believe we are
hearing from God’s Spirit must agree with the Scriptures and not be in
contradiction to the Scriptures. And since one quality of the fruit of the
Spirit is self-control, the Spirit is not going to lead us to do something we
cannot control.
And this takes us to these next words “so as to walk in a
manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him.” This is the purpose of us
being filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding. It is not so we can look good in front of others or so that we
can receive praise from other humans, but it is so that we can walk (in
conduct, in practice) in a manner (character, way) that is in agreement with
the holiness of God and with his declared will for our lives, that is fitting
(appropriate) to the Lord.
So, this excludes us continuing in deliberate and habitual sin,
living to please the flesh and not God. And it includes us walking in obedience
to our Lord’s commands (New Covenant) in humility of spirit, in walks of
holiness and righteousness and in moral purity, and honesty, and faithfulness.
For this is the will of God that we should live holy lives, pleasing to him,
and that we should no longer live for the passions of our sinful flesh. So we
are to learn what pleases him and then do what he says to do.
And when we do that, by the Spirit, in the wisdom and strength
of God, then we will bear fruit (results) in every good work for the kingdom of
God. And in the process we are definitely going to learn patience and waiting
on the Lord and putting our trust in his sovereignty over our lives. And through
trials and tribulations which come to test our faith we will learn endurance
and steadfastness of faith in our Lord. And through it all we will delight in
our Lord and we will give him thanks, knowing he is working for our good.
And all of this is possible because of what Jesus did for us
on that cross in putting our sin to death with him so that we might die with
him to sin daily and live daily to him and to his righteousness. For if our
faith in Jesus is of God and not of our flesh, we have been delivered from the
domain (power and control) of darkness (sin, evil, wickedness), and we have
been transferred to the kingdom of Jesus Christ. For he gave his life for us to
buy us back for God (to redeem us) so we would honor God with our lives.
An Original Work / September 26, 2011
When in the stillness of this moment,
Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.
Be my desire, set me on fire,
Teach me to love always.
Help me to walk in fellowship with You,
Listening to You; sit at Your feet.
Whisper Your words to me,
Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your
truth.
While we are waiting for Your blessing,
Lord, in our hearts be King today.
Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,
List’ning to what You say.
May we not stray from your word within
us,
Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,
Walking each moment, Lord, in Your
presence,
Our offerings to You bring.
Help us to love You, Lord, our master;
Be an example of Your love,
Helping the hurting, lift up the
fallen,
Showing them Your great love.
Teach them to love You, follow You
always,
Bearing their cross and turning from
sin;
Walking in daily fellowship with You,
Making You Lord and King.
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