Growing in God's Will: An Exploration of Colossians 1:9-12
QUESTIONS EXPLORED IN THIS WRITING:
What steps can I take to understand God’s will more fully?
What are the roles of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit when it comes to me learning to walk more fully in God’s will?
What are some things that please God?
Introduction
There’s a manner of walking in the will of God that begins with the Holy Spirit and ends in our blessed obedience, good works, and an increased understanding of our Heavenly Father.
To explore this idea, I want to walk us through a portion of Scripture at the outset of Colossians. It’s both hearty and wonderful. As you read it, I invite you to ponder these questions: How does one begin to understand God’s will? And what is the result?
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9-12 NIV
Trinitarian Roles
A concept that brings both peace and confidence to our hearts (which can be so prone to striving) is this: true wisdom and holiness is sourced from God himself, by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the verses above, we see Paul praying fervently for the church at Colossae, knowing that prayer is of great usefulness in the journey towards holiness.
He asks God to fill the church with a knowledge of his will—knowing all along that it’s the Holy Spirit’s power that carries the mission along. If we think of the endeavor into God’s will as a vehicle, we see Paul getting into the passenger seat and asking God to turn the key, as the Holy Spirit fills the tank with adequate fuel for the journey.
This imagery of being a passenger on the journey towards holiness is not only helpful, but fruitful, as it reminds us of our place in the process of sanctification. As we rest in our proper position, peace results, but may we not confuse peace with passivity. We actively choose to come along for the ride, while knowing that without the masterful wisdom of our Heavenly Father, and the fuel of the Holy Spirit, we would be going nowhere fast. (And if we want to bring the whole trinity into the mix, let’s just say Jesus unlocked the car for us to get inside!)
We see this concept laid out in 1 Peter 1:2. In it, Peter describes God’s people whom he is addressing in this way: “[you] who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood…”
Chosen by God. Sanctified by the Spirit (for obedience). Sprinkled by the blood of Christ. Again, we see the concept laid out of God holding the key to our salvation, the Holy Spirit carrying us along in the will of God, and Jesus providing us access into his perfect purposes.
Our Role
As we revisit our key scripture of Colossians 1:9-12, we see Paul engaging in prayer for the good of the church:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives… Colossians 1:9 NIV
Don’t neglect to pray that God would continue in this good work. Invite his work to play out in and through you, as you present yourself to him as a living sacrifice, moving through your days with offering, and making clear your desire for his good purposes to be accomplished in your life.
We are given the freedom to participate—or not; may we choose to pursue God in this process of sanctification. A quote I heard this weekend was this: “God isn’t opposed to our efforts; he’s opposed to us thinking we can earn it.” (Brian Suter)
I believe this applies to the concept at hand: we can’t earn our sancitification. We are entirely reliant on God’s choosing, the sustaining, sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, and Christ’s purchase of our very souls—and yet, we can cooperate with it. We can receive it. And we can invite it into our lives in an ever-increasing measure as we abide in Christ and allow him to produce the fruit that only he can. (John 15)
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:1-4 NIV
Abiding in Christ: Practical Tips
It’s only when we abide in Christ—when we rest in the security of all he has done for us—that we can begin to live lives worthy of our new identities, walking in the will of God.
For this reason, I find it important to offer a few practical notes about how one might think about the process of abiding. After all, we see in the passage above (John 15) that Jesus addresses the people in a way that provides them with a role and responsibility in the process of abiding, Otherwise, he wouldn’t tell them to do so! So then, while it isn’t comprehensive, here are a few practical approaches that come to mind for the one looking to abide more deeply in Christ:
Remember (and hold fast to) the truth that we are saved entitely by grace. When you fall short or sin, come to God and apologize; thank him for the fully sufficient sacrifice of Jesus on your behalf. And walk free. (Placing verses around your house or on your phone Lock Screen can be great tools for keeping this truth present and focal.)
Abide in Christ by focusing your heart and mind on him, praying to him, and reading about him in the Bible.
Get invested in his body—the church—and allow the spiritual gifts of others to carry you along more fully in your faith. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
Stand firm in your faith that his blood atones for your sins; your life is now hidden in Christ. (Colossians 3:3) Abiding in Christ is critical, and the result is beautiful.
In fact, in Colossians 1 (our key scripture for this writing), Paul celebrate the faith of the Colossians. Evidently, they are living firmly in their belief in Christ. He rejoices in this, and then prays fervently so that they can live their lives in a manner worthy of who they are in Jesus.
Living According to God’s Will
Let’s take a look Colossians 1:9-12 again and break down five key hopes that spring forth as we pray intentionally for the wisdom and knowledge to walk in God’s will:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9-12 NIV
May we approach God and ask him to fill us with wisdom more-and-more, knowing the Spirit is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:16-21)
Now that we have covered the ideas of beginning with prayer to God, trusting in the Spirit’s ability to move, and firmly founding ourselves in our identities in Christ, let’s consider what it might look like to live in accordance with God’s will—worthy of our calling as his sons and daughters:
Living A Life Worthy of the Lord
If you skipped back and took a look at Colossians 1:1-8—the verses before our key passage—you’d see Paul celebrating this church’s faith with gratitude. The gospel proclaims that our salvation and holiness was purchased by Jesus once-and-for-all and we are now fully accepted into the loving arms of the Father.
So then, how do we grow in holiness if we are already holy? It sounds like a conundrum, but it’s really not; we are simply walking out what has already been worked in to our hearts.We have been appointed “hearts of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26) and have had the law scribed on our hearts (Hebrews 10:16) by the power of the Holy Spirit. To live a life worthy of all that has been accomplished is to accept the new reality of our being, and aim to live according to it. In Christ, we are new creations! (2 Corinthians 5:17) Let’s hold fast to that truth and live it out as we pursue pure lives marked by repentance and void of the shame Christ died to rid us of.
Growing in the Knowledge of God
Have you every heard someone use the phrase, “to know them is to love them”? It’s an affectionate sentiment used to describe one believed to be lovely to-the-core. The idea is that the more you get to know this person, the more you will enjoy them, because the beauty runs deep. We know from Scripture that God is compassionate (Psalm 86:15), He is fair (2 Thessalonians 1:6), He is patient (2 Peter 3:9), He is kind (Romans 2:4), He is light (1 John 1:5) and He is love (1 John 4:8)! These are only to name a few of his attributes. God is pleased when we want to get to know him, and because of our gained access by the blood of Jesus, and by the work of the Holy Spirit, we can get to know Him. Surely, the more we know him, the more we will love him, and therefore walk out the primary commandment of Loving God first and foremost.
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38 NIV
An aspect of walking in God’s will is getting to know him. A natural result will be to love him more deeply as you understand the depth of goodness in his character. Furthermore, he calls us to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. This is our inheritance as his chosen ones; check out this verse from Isaiah 43 in which God addresses his people:
“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.” Isaiah 43:10 NIV
God makes himself known to us; he wants us to know Him. Consider this an invitation into deeper relationship with God as you get to know your Creator, the one who already knows you and loves you deeply. I’ll finish with Romans 5:1-2 which proclaims the access we have to God in accordance with our faith:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2 NIV
We have access to our Father. May we get to know him all-the-more!
Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work
Sometimes, we overcomplicate the will of God... which is why I love how Paul opens this description with what it looks like to please God: do good, fruitful work. Do you know what the definition of “good work” is? I looked it up in Greek and surprisingly, it means this: good work! (Okay, I’m half-joking…) But really, this was one of those definitions that felt straightforward: we are to put effort into things that produce goodness. I don’t think I could summarize this concept any better than Charles Spurgeon did, so I’ll leave his quote below:
“‘Fruitful in every good work.’ Here is room and range enough – in ‘every good work.’ Have you the ability to preach the gospel? Preach it! Does a little child need comforting? Comfort it! Can you stand up and vindicate a glorious truth before thousands? Do it! Does a poor saint need a bit of dinner from your table? Send it to her. Let works of obedience, testimony, zeal, charity, piety, and philanthropy all be found in your life. Do not select big things as your special line, but glorify the Lord also in the littles – ‘fruitful in every good work.’” —Charles Spurgeon
As the Spirit moves in our hearts to help us understand God’s perfect wisdom, may it overflow in an abundance of good works!
(And just a small note to add: Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are God’s handiwork, created to do good works that he has prepared in advance for us. Psalm 139:13 tells us that he formed our inmost beings. He has crafted the very things that make us, us! I don’t have time to unpack this all here… but take a moment with the Lord and ask him the things he has specifically created you for. While there are all kinds of good, general things for us to do—may we also remember that God has made us with purpose and intention, all for his glory!)
Being Strengthened with Endurance and Patience
The power we live with in the Christian life flows from God himself. The power for self-control, the power to die to ourselves, the power to love our neighbors or answer patiently or forgive what we once thought unforgivable… these are divine abilities given to us according to God’s might. It helps us move through life’s circumstances with grit and determination—not for our own vain purposes—but for the Lord’s kingship to reign. Ephesians 6:7-9 says this,
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Ephesians 6:7-9 NIV
It’s a given fact: doing good can cause one to become weary. But may we choose the life of the Spirit, prayerfully, and with God’s strength at work in us. It’s like the farmer who continually goes out to tend his land with perseverance, ultimately knowing his reliance on God to produce growth. May we call on the Lord in our weariness and allow him to strengthen us for perseverance that there may be a glorious harvest in the end.
Giving Joyful Thanks
Last, but not least! Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that God wants us to soak in all he has gifted us in Christ? He wants our lives to be overflowing with joy and gratitude as we rest in the grace that is ours! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 puts it simply, and well:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
God has qualified us—in Christ—to join him in the Kingdom of Light. This is no small accomplishment; it’s the victory of the ages and is a glorious call to celebration. A loving father wants the very best for his children, and God is no different. In fact, He’s the author of good! (James 1:17) May our lives be characterized by the organic fruit of authentic celebration as we understand the abundance of grace held out to us in Christ. We are rescued, redeemed, chosen, and loved! Amen?!
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this exploration of God’s will as outlined in Colossians 1:9-12. And that you’ll join me in the mission of my art and writing: to celebrate God’s grace as displayed in his Word, and in this beautiful world he has created.
He is steadfast and good. May we call on him and trust in him to continue to grow us in the knowledge of his glorious and perfect will. Bless you today!
