“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.” Colossians 1:9-14
In our previous look at the apostle Paul’s prayer for the church in Colossae, we discussed his desire that they be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding. We see that each of the things he lists builds off the others (knowledge of God’s will is nestled in spiritual wisdom and understanding, which in turn helps the believers to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him!). It doesn’t stop there, though! We get a detailed snapshot through Paul’s prayers of, not only what pleases the Lord, but also the wonderful strength and joy that were theirs in Christ (and sister, if you’re part of the body of Christ, they are yours, too!).
Walking Worthy, fully pleasing: bearing fruit
There are two actions here that the apostle lists as part of walking worthy of the Lord and fully pleasing to him! The first is “bearing fruit in every good work.” We know from the teachings of Jesus that bearing fruit is the direct result of abiding in him as our Lord, Savior, and sustainer!
“As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 (ESV).
Here we see that amazing mystery at work, Jesus the author of our faith supplies what is needed to bear fruit in the good works he’s prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10)!
Walking worthy, fully pleasing: increasing knowledge
Increasing in the knowledge of God is the second action listed here. In Greek, this could literally be translated as, “…growing in the full knowledge of God.” The Koine Greek word that gives rise to the translation of “full knowledge” is επίγνωσιν (if you’d like to explore it further, it is number 1922 in Strong’s Concordance and the Greek in its entirety is also listed in the Apostolic Bible Polyglot, which is free to access on Biblehub.com!). Again, we see the apostle’s desire that the church grow in their knowledge of the Lord! When we take the time to study God’s word and allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds in the Father’s truth, we are pursuing something that is pleasing in God’s sight!
HIS strength
“…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;” Colossians 1:11 (ESV).
Being strengthened with what? All power.
According to what? His glorious might.
For what purposes? For all endurance and patience with joy!
When we abide in Christ, we are strengthened by him! Even in the midst of long suffering, we are able to have joy because of who he is and the strength he provides.
Thanksgiving
According to the passage, what did the apostle encourage the church to do as they were being strengthened by the Lord’s power, in the midst of long suffering with joy? He desired that they give thanks to God the Father! Here we find four specific things he desired for their thanksgiving (things we can bless the Lord for in all seasons of our lives, as well!).
-Thank him for making us fit to inherit with the saints!
-Thank him for rescuing us from out of the authority of the kingdom of darkness and bringing us into the Kingdom of his son!
-Thank him that through Jesus Christ and his blood shed on the cross, we are released from our sins!
In the midst of struggles, we can count on the Lord’s strength to give us patience and endurance with joy! We can turn that joy into praise for what he has already accomplished in our lives: our inheritance, our citizenship in heaven, and the gift of our Savior.
Questions:
- What is the relationship between growing in spiritual wisdom and understanding and abiding in Jesus Christ?
- Reflecting on the apostle’s words, which verses stand out the most to you?
- What role does the joy of the Lord play in our thanksgiving during seasons of longsuffering?
Footnote: BibleHub, “Strong’s 1922- epignósis” https://biblehub.com/greek/1922.htm
