For this reason we also, since
the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be
filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him,
being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Colossians 1:9-10
The New Testament contains a number of prayers. Sometimes it’s easy to
read through prayers rather quickly. Colossians is a letter that contains some
weighty material about the preeminence of Christ. But, before Paul delivered
teaching about the identity of Christ, he offered a prayer. Paul asked that God
would fill them with knowledge, wisdom and understanding so that they would be
able to live in a manner worthy of the Lord. For me it’s a reminder of the
difference Christ makes. Knowing Jesus is transformational. Paul had received
the good news. He heard about the faith of those who were in Colosse. Paul
looked back at their faith in Christ and rejoiced. He looked forward to the
road ahead and he prayed. Paul asked that their wisdom, understanding and
knowledge would increase. Their receipt of the Gospel was not the end. It was
the beginning.
Conversion, like wisdom, takes
a lifetime. For some, conversion is like a birth certificate while for others
it is like a driver’s license. For the first, the ultimate question is “What do
I need to get to heaven?” For the second, the question is “How do I love God?”
For the first, the concern is for a moment, for the second, the concern is for
a life.
Scot McKnight
I pray that your love for God increases more and more. I pray that God’s
love spills over into every area of our lives every day.
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