For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, full pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:9-14 NKJV
The Easter weekend has come and gone. We have just celebrated our deliverance from the power of darkness, and the new life we have because of Jesus' blood, with complete access to our Heavenly Father. Because of Jesus we are each qualified to be called a child of God.
Let's not quickly immerse ourselves into our busy-ness and sideline Jesus until we have a specific need for Him. Rather, lets continue giving thanks, today and every day.
Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light. [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins. Colossians 1:12-14 AMP
Let's keep asking God for the those same things that Paul and Timothy prayed for the Colossians to receive...
that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things -
Colossians 1:9 AMP
How different would our lives look if we had comprehensive insight into the ways of purposes of God? The Message Bible puts it this way,
asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the way in which God works. Colossians 1:9 The Message
There are plenty of things in my life, for example wasted time and emotion on worrying, that would not have taken place, had I had that comprehensive insight. Let's ask God for that understanding today, and position ourselves to receive it.
Next Paul and Timothy pray for the way in which the Colossians live, and that it will be determined by that spiritual understanding and discernment,
That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition]. Colossians 1:10 AMP
It is good to do a stock-take of our lives and ask the Holy Spirit to show us those areas of our lives that are not pleasing to God, to repent and walk a different way. The purpose of the stock-take is not make ourselves feel condemned, rather it is an opportunity to move forward in to being all that God has called us to be. It is a time to say, 'Okay, maybe I am not on track here. Jesus, I repent. Please help me to walk on your path, understand more about your ways, so I can bear good fruit in this area of my life.'
Paul and Timothy knew very well that perseverance and patience is needed to live God's way, so they included that in their prayer for the Colossians.
[We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy. Colossians 1:11 AMP
We all have circumstances in our lives that require endurance and patience. And whats-more, how awesome is it that in Jesus we can wait with joy? From my experience it has taken a long time (years) to learn how to wait with joy, but what an absolute blessing it is once you are at that place. Here is how The Message Bible says it,
We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul - not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is the strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bring and beautiful that he has for us. Colossians 1:11-12 The Message
So yes, the Easter long weekend is finished, but our walk with Christ is far from over. There is so much more for us to understand about Jesus, and authority and power to access, so we can live as He intended us to live. Let's pray that we will always be growing in:
1. Spiritual understanding and discernment
2. The practical way we live out our spiritual understanding and discernment
3. Endurance and patience with joy, until we meet Jesus face to face.
4. Thankfulness for all Jesus has done for us.
"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. John 3:16 The Message
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