Tuesday August 17, 2010

Read Colossians 1:9

I know it’s aggravating when you have to read a small verse over and over again but this one verse has so much in it that it’s worth reading again. Yesterday we looked at what God’s will is. Today we look at what God wants us to do with that will - how to turn that will into a life changing reality for day to day victorious living. Rather than burden you with 3 –4 pages of reading notes  for one day I’ve broken it down. Forgive me please, if this is still a burden to you.

But let’s look closely at vs 9. Paul prays that God will fill the believers with a knowledge of His will. How is that to happen? It’s “… through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” What on earth does all that mean? I suspect that like me, you’ve probably glanced over this many a time and filed it in the too hard or super spiritual basket. Maybe like me you’ve summarised it as ‘God show you and give you spiritual understanding when He’s good and ready’ and then moved on.

To help us understand this more, think of what the key words mean. Spiritual wisdom is basically understanding the absolute standard that God has set in a particular area. Spiritual wisdom about answering someone who has caught us out, is knowing that all lies come from the father of lies, namely the devil. Spiritual wisdom is knowing the will of God in certain areas. It is knowing God’s principles about a certain area or subject. Understanding is comprehending and having insight into that principle or absolute that God has set, so that we can see how to apply it to our daily lives. So in a generic sense we have:-

Knowledge of

The word of God —> a principle—> an application for my daily life

What Paul is praying is that the Colossians know the will of God, that they are filled with a knowledge of God and that this knowledge be turned into daily application through spiritual wisdom and understanding.

What a powerful prayer to pray for each other each and every single day. What a powerful way to read the Bible. As you have time to read later today, think about the passage or verse you are reading. What principle is being put forward? What truth or absolute is God telling you? As you put that into practice, ask yourself the next question: What do I do with this principle in my daily life? How does this principle effect me today?  As you do this, the knowledge of God will be powerfully translated into life changing reality that affects you and everyone around you.

Prayer:-

ü Pray vs 9 for specific people in your congregation. Use your church phone directory to pray for as many people as you can.

ü As you seek to know the will of God for your own life, pray that God would show you His will in the Word and how and where it needs to be applied to your life.

ü Pray that more and more Christians would be willing to listen to God, submit to His word and to live lives that are in accord with the Word. Pray that a Spirit of holiness would sweep over the church in our land.

MEAT 4  THE MATURE

Start a prayer journal this week.

A prayer journal is a written copy of your prayers and bible reading.

This will allow you to keep track of your prayers and God’s answers and will also help you remember what God has been teaching you through His Word.