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.”
This is being addressed to the saints (holy ones of God) and
to the faithful (full of faith) in Christ Jesus. And to be holy is to be
separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed to
the likeness of Jesus Christ. And it is to be holy, like God is holy, in all our
conduct (actions, behaviors), which is to live godly, righteous, honest, morally
pure, upright, and faithful lives in Christ Jesus. And our faith comes from God
and is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing, so our faith will
align with the character and will of God and with the New Covenant teachings.
These faithful followers of Jesus Christ are also those who
love the saints of God with a love which prefers what God prefers, and which
prefers to live through Christ and to embrace his will and to obey his will in
his power. And so we love with a pure love which shows love and concern for
others according to the will of God, which is a love evidenced by what we do. And
so we do not deliberately and/or habitually sin against our brothers and
sisters in the Lord. And the word of the Lord, which we received from God, is
bearing fruit (outgrowth, spiritual results) and increasing in our lives.
And so this is a prayer for us, that we would be filled with
the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to
walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him. For the Christian
life is a process of salvation and sanctification, with us growing in our walks
of faith, learning more and more about our Lord and his teachings, applying to
our lives what we are learning, by God’s grace, and learning to live according
to the will of God in doing what pleases him. For we are to live lives which
are fitting and suitable to our Lord and to his will for our lives.
Yet we can do none of this in our own strength and
willpower. All this comes from God. Our faith comes from him, and it is gifted
to us by him, and we can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the
Father first draws us to Christ, i.e. unless he first persuades us as to his righteousness
and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to repent of (turn from)
our lives of sin to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands (New
Covenant). We still need to do it, but we only are able to do it because of
what Jesus did for us on that cross, and only in his power and strength.
And then we are to be giving thanks to the Father, for our
salvation comes from him, and we can only be saved from our sins because he
chose to send his only begotten Son Jesus Christ to the cross to die for our
sins. For when he died, our sins died with him so that we can now die with him
to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. For by God’s grace we are
saved from our slavery to sin and we are empowered to live righteously. For he
called us out of darkness (sin) into his wonderful light (truth and
righteousness) so that we can be forgiven our sins and walk daily in obedience
to him.
And so all the glory goes to God, for not one of us can live
the kind of lives required of us of our own initiative or in our own strength
and wisdom. We still have to cooperate with God in his work of grace in our
lives, though, and we still have to obey him and to do what he says, but then
he equips and empowers us to do what he says for us to do. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance
that we should walk in them in his power and strength (see Ephesians 2:10).
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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