Colossians Chapter 1 Verses 9 – 10

•Paul prays a most important prayer for them. That they would be filled with the knowledge of the will of God which is important for them and important for us. Why? Because God is right and God is ruler and therefore He should be meticulously obeyed and His will must be painstakingly followed? If that is your perspective alone then you won’t last long. You’re right but your reason is religious. You’re rationale is rigid and filled with rules and rules always end up being met with rebellion.

•Our hearts desire to be filled with the knowledge of the will of God is simply because of this uncomplicated, undemanding, straightforward and practical fact…He loves me. God loves me…and the entirety of His will for me, the entirety of His Word, the entirety of His ways are all formed and fashioned, fixed and focused, fortified and forever fastened upon this sincere truth, God IS love, God is all-everything and even so…He loves me, His heart is for me, I am His beloved. How could His desire and His will not be my own, lest I simply be a fool?

•So Paul prays a most important prayer, one that involves much more than knowledge but implicates the heart…that we and they would be FILLED with the knowledge of His will and look at this…look at what comes along with that…wisdom. Spiritual understanding. A walk that is FULLY pleasing to Him, why? Because you’re killing it man! Every situation, every trial, every circumstance, you’re following His way and His as is the way of victory! You’re surging through every day! This world has nothing on you! That fully pleases God! Of course it does!

•How bonkers did you go the first time your little one scored that goal? Or the first honor roll report card came out of that little one’s backpack? When they took stage to receive that diploma or got that acceptance letter in the mail? When they called to let you know they got the job. When they stood for right and it cost them dearly…were you not fully pleased!? Why? Because they’re killin’ it man! They’re succeeding! They’re doing it up! Making it! Thriving! Surging! Not just living but LIVING! Loving God and being loved by Him…this is fully pleasing to the Father because in that He knows that you can and will do all things, unstoppable, through Christ who strengthens you! You’re ok…man how desperate we are to know our little ones will be ok.

•But almost incredibly, there’s more! As you are FILLED with the knowledge of His will, blasting forth in wisdom, controlling the matrix with spiritual understanding, fully pleasing God, you are bearing fruit (feeding others) in every good work and check this out, you’re always increasing!

•How much does that cost? Man, that sounds so good. What’s the cost? Nothing and everything is the answer. He has paid for it. He has secured it. That kind of power. That kind of strength. It cost Him the blood of His Son. To set you free from sin…and yet it will cost you this…you have to receive it. To receive it you must seek it…you must actively go after God…and not just call upon Him for heaven’s blessings but turn the title deed to your life over to Him. The knowledge of the will of God costs you your flesh…and that is why so many simply don’t step forward…

•But oh I call today to those that will…to know the fullness of joy, being filled with the knowledge of the will of the One who loves you…and to know His will in ALL situations. How? Those of you who will not give up your flesh, you can tune out for a minute because this is step two to step one you haven’t yet taken and so this might lose you.

•Saints, 300 (reference to Gideon), practically, logistically, God has given us clear direction as to how to be filled with the knowledge of His will…everyday, give your day to Him. As you do that and truly walk in accordance with His Word, not because you HAVE to but because you Get to, then your life will become the progressive revelation of God’s will, day in and day out. Knowing His Word and exalting His Word in your heart is the KEY to knowing Him, knowing His will, pleasing Him, being fruitful and growing. And those things, that right there, is indeed to walk worthy of the Lord.

•Our false humility proclaims the ultimate cop-out…I’m not worthy…and the cross of Jesus Christ is insulted…the Holy Spirit will never tell you do something that through Christ you are not able to do. With God’s commandment comes God’s enablement. God says walk worthy of Me. Honor the cross and the meaning behind every detail of it! And this is how you do it. Increase. Be filled with Me. Embody wisdom and spiritual understanding. Bear fruit. Paul’s prayer for them, and my prayer for us…and yet it’s not over…

Colossians Chapter 1 Verses 11 – 12

•The culmination of being FILLED with the knowledge of the will of God…I love this! Strength, might and power! And what does that look like? Patience, longsuffering, joy and a thankful heart! These aren’t commandments. These are effects! The commandment is to love God with your everything! The effect is eyes wide open! Wisdom, understanding of reality, fruit of the Spirit in your life, always in “increase mode,” strength, might, contentment, powerful in patience, long suffering (huge endurance) and chock-full of joy as Psalm 28 says, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” I’ll translate that for you, the joy of the Lord is the only real strength!

•And I love this HUGE point Paul makes. He says that he gives thanks to the Father who has qualified us for heaven! His home, His inheritance! The Father has qualified us! I just love that word! It’s a different thought. In the Greek, He has rendered “fit.” We didn’t have it before. We don’t fit here. We die. We don’t fit in hell, we’re children of God. Products of God’s perfect creation. We didn’t fit in heaven either though because we surrendered that perfection to sin. So God did it all! How? Through forgiveness of sins! Through payment though. God is holy and righteous…can’t just “let it go.” It cost Him everything!

•And this word…this word means qualified, this word means delivered fit but it also means that God alone has equipped us with adequate powers to perform duties as saints in the light. “I can’t forgive. I can’t love him. I can’t love her. I can’t stop doing this. I can’t turn this part of my life over to Him!” That is simply not true! He has equipped you! You just need to uninstall the malware…it’s your hard-drive. It’s your motherboard. But you’re bogging down the processor with all of your flesh coupons! HA! When in truth, you are already delivered…look…

Colossians Chapter 1 Verses 13 – 14

•Not yet from darkness, that’s not what Paul said. We are in the midst of it. That’s why we are to be light…which He has installed that capability…don’t play and tell me you can’t do it…non-sense! But we are delivered from the POWER of darkness! See that! How, God stuck us on the heavenly check-out counter…I love this mind picture…He has conveyed us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love…when you place your bread and milk and eggs on the conveyor belt there at the market, does it get up and run!? No. It just sits there…by the shear nature of its position it’s about to get rung up and taken home…same with us man!

•Jesus has done it all and by His blood we have available to us removal of sins! I love this! Not future sins, this means all sins the moment the knee is bowed to God. The moment that you become a whoever as God said whoever would believe in Him would not perish but would have everlasting life! How? The only way to have everlasting life is to be free from sin because the wages of sin is death!

•The full knowledge of the will of the Almighty! Wisdom, spiritual understanding to the point that the physical bends and breaks because of you and you overcome even this world, even your world…a life fully pleasing to Him who is right, to Him who is worthy, to Him who so simply just loves you…profit/fruit breaking forth from your life daily and increasing being strengthened in might and power! Patience, thankfulness and heavy endurance are your DNA because the joy of the Lord surges within you…a type of strength the natural man knows nothing of…delivered from the power of darkness and given “fit” in heaven, an eternal home for an eternal life…man that all starts with this, step one…bow the knee to the One true King.

•Have you yet started?