DAILY DEVOTION No. 10

Col. 1:9-12 ^{- "}For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."

What do we learn from the above passage? 

i) The Importance Of Knowing And Doing The Will Of God   

Verse 9 .."we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will.." Can you think of anything more important than this? You and I must discover His will for our lives. God’s will for all of us is that we love Him deeply and that we allow that love to flow on to others. However, no matter where we live, our present circumstances, what physical state of health we are in, God has a plan and destiny for each of our lives i.e. something specific for each of us to do. Have you discovered His will for you yet? It may mean being stretched and taken out of your comfort zone. Our destiny fulfilled is the only thing we will want to face God with. He won’t say well done for any other reason but that we found and fulfilled His will.

ii) That We Live A Life Worthy Of The Lord And Please Him 

Verse 10 .."And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way." Once we know His will, there must be obedience to His will. Listen to Paul’s comment to the Church in Rome in Romans 16:19 – “Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” Some Christians may certainly know God’s will for their lives, but it is not just knowing, but being obedient. Like David, let the cry of our heart be "Teach us Your ways O Lord" and "Search my heart and see if there be any wicked way in me." It is good for us also to follow Jesus' example, who said to the Father – “not My will but Thine be done.” In other words, let us exchange our will for His.

ii) That God Wants Our Lives To Be Fruitful 

Verse 10 ..bearing fruit in every good work.. Success in the eyes of the world is position, title, wealth etc. True success is doing what God told you to do and seeking to excel in it. God wants us all to bear fruit in our lives - fruit that will remain. He desires us to be fruitful in all aspects of our lives - our marriage, our workplace, our ministry and every service for God.

People don’t succeed in being fruitful for God because: a) They’re afraid of the commitment required – they would rather remain comfortable; b) They’ve been knocked down and are afraid to get up and to try again. Don’t let the past affect your future; c) They’re content with things the way they are in their lives. They are ruled by apathy - a “Couldn’t Be Bothered Mentality"; d) They think that success is due to having great intelligence or some ingredient that they don’t possess.

We may think we haven’t much to give, but we have God residing within us, and that is everything. We will never achieve great things for God while we see our lack or inability. The only one who can stop you from becoming the person God intended you to be, is you. As long as we seek the Lord, and depend on Him, God will cause us to prosper.

iii) That We Would Experience His Strength And Power To Endure In Life

Verse 11 .."being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience." We need to constantly tap into the Power Source and not look to our own strength. It is very easy to fall into the trap of relying on your natural gifting and abilities instead of looking to God. This concept can be likened to a vacuum cleaner –  a) If it is not plugged in, it’s useless; b) It depends on another source to make it effective; c) If you pull the plug out of the power source, it’s worthless.

iv) That We Would Have The Right Attitude – Joy And Thankfulness

Verse 12 .."and joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." Joy means to “rejoice and be glad.” The Hebrew word for joy has a further meaning – “ to dance or leap for joy, spinning around with intense motion.” We must understand that possessions, jobs, family or friends can’t bring this type of joy. It is only the joy of God’s salvation and His many blessings to us. Joy and thanksgiving is an attitude. We can either live a life of joy or we can become a grumbler and complainer. Quote - Do not grumble because you do not get what you want; be thankful you do not get what you deserve!

Challenge

Let us strive to know and do God’s will; to be fruitful in what we do for God; to operate in His strength and power ; and have an attitude of joy and thanksgiving. We can change our future if we have - a) DESIRE - to change things. To move from our present situation into God’s plan and purposes; b) DEATH TO OUR WILL - not my will but Yours God; c) DETERMINATION – to know God in a greater dimension and begin to operate in His power.

Prayer

Lord, as You have blessed me, I want to be a blessing to others. Help me to do always what pleases You, to be fruitful in all I say and do and to live with a grateful heart and attitude of thanks.

Rod Best