Paul Prays for the Colossian Believers Spiritual
Understanding
Colossians
1:9-10 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease
to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of
his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy
of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in the knowledge of God. KJVPaul now begins to pray for specific things for these believers in Colosse first thing at the top of his prayer list for them is as follows, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;” (Colossians 1:9) (KJV). The for this cause or that thing Paul refers to is what he said of them in verse 8 their love in the Spirit that is produced by God the Holy Spirit and this is what compels Paul’s prayer for Divine wisdom and Divine spiritual understanding to be theirs. Paul uses the English phrase ‘ye might be filled’ speaking of knowing the will of God and it is translated by one Greek word pleroo meaning to fill up to the fullest measure or to fill to satisfaction. The idea Paul has in mind here is that they so come acquainted with, informed of, and come to know personally for themselves (by the leading and guiding of God the Holy Spirit) the will and desires of God for them that they become obsessed with His will going after it with energy, earnestness, and enthusiasm and as our Lord Jesus Himself declared they/we will know for certain what that will truly is as He said with these words to the Jews who questioned His understanding of God’s will, “Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, ‘How does this Man know letters, having never studied?’ Jesus answered them and said, ‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.’” (John 7:14-17) (NKJV).
The strong desire that Paul had for them (even though he had never met them face to face) was that the Spiritual wisdom or their ability to apply the knowledge of the Word of God taught to them by Paul, Epaphras, and other ministers of the Gospel to their own personal lives giving them spiritual enlightenment of all God’s truth enabling them/us to be prudent, careful, sensible, and able to use sound Biblical judgement every day of their/our lives as they/we continue to travel along this redeemed life on earth as strangers, pilgrims, and sojourners headed to our eternal home in heaven always remembering these words spoken by Paul to the Corinthian believers when he said, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13) (NKJV). Secondly, Paul prays that their/our spiritual wisdom and spiritual understanding would lead to the following, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:10) (NKJV). First off in this second stage of his prayer he uses the English phrase ‘might walk’ which is translated by one Greek word peripateo which means in this case figuratively to live or behave in a certain manner. Next he uses the English word worthy which is translated by the Greek word axios which means deserving, appropriate, or suitable, as becomes a Christ follower or after a godly manner.
In other words, Paul’s prayer for them/us is that they/we as we bear the name of Christ live in such a way that it is proven that we do belong to Christ because His Holy Spirit has changed and is working in us making us into new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) trusting that He will finish the work which He began in us (Philippians 1:6), so we should yield ourselves to submission to the will of God as it is revealed in the Word of God and made known to us by the Spirit of God for these ‘good works’ or ‘godly manner’ has already been ordained for us to walk in as declared by Paul with these words to the Ephesian believers, “For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].” (Ephesians 2:10) (Amplified Bible).
Paul prays that they/we be pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ and this English word pleasing Paul uses is translated by the Greek word areskeia (used this one time only in New Testament) meaning to have a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of another; also through the idea of exciting the emotion of someone; to be agreeable or by implication to seek or desire to be agreeable to them. In other words, it should be our strongest desire to be pleasing to our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ knowing how much He loves us and gave up for us suffering in our place on Calvary, then it should make us want to yield to His will as it is revealed in His Word seeking to excite His Emotions toward us as we do His will, not grudgingly but freely and lovingly wanting to please Him because we love Him desiring to have said of us that which was said of Enoch, “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5) (NKJV).
“All good beings desire that others should understand their character, and God delights in those who are sincerely desirous of knowing what He is, and who inquire with humility and reverence into His counsels and His will. People are often displeased when others attempt to look into their plans, for they are sensible they will not bear the light of investigation. God has no plans which would not be seen to be, in the highest degree, glorious to Him. Albert Barnes
“Gnosticism had somehow begun to invade many Churches, even this early after our Lord Jesus Christ death, burial, and resurrection from the dead and His ascension back to heaven. Those who believed and followed these Gnostic teachers taught that spiritual wisdom and understanding was intuitive and that it did not require deep and meaniful study of the revealed Word of God. Paul prayed for these new believers in Colosse to know true Spiritual wisdom and understanding that only comes from the Word of God as taught to us by the Spirit of God as our Lord Jesus said, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:12-15) (NKJV).” Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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