This week we focus on the study of Colossians Chapter one. Paul wrote this letter to the people of Colosse to combat errors in the church and to show that believers have everything they need in Christ. I will be sharing with you some selected notes from the Life Application Study Bible (NLT). Enjoy
SCRIPTURE TEXT: “So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honour and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” –Colossians 1:9-14(NLT)
Paul was exposing a heresy in the Colossian Church that was similar to Gnosticism. Gnosticism valued the accumulation of knowledge, but Paul pointed out that knowledge in itself is empty. To be worth anything, it must lead to a changed life and right living. His prayer for the Colossians has two dimensions:
That they might have complete knowledge of God’s will and have spiritual wisdom and understanding;
That their lives would produce every kind of good fruit, even as they learned to know God better and better
Knowledge is not merely to be accumulated; it should give us direction for living. Paul wanted the Colossians to be wise, but he also wanted them to use their knowledge. Knowledge of God is not a secret that only a few can discover; it is open to everyone. God wants us to learn more about Him, and also to put belief into practice by helping others.
Like Paul we can touch other lives by:
Asking God to help them know His will
Asking God to give them spiritual wisdom and understanding
Asking God to help them live in honor of Him
Asking God to give them strength for endurance and patience
Asking God to fill them with joy and thankfulness
STAY BLESSED
