You Can Have It All- The Knowledge Of God’s Will

Why is it necessary to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will? Steph Nickel explores Colossians 1:9-14, where the Apostle prays that the Christians in Colossae will be “filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

Can You Have It All?

Colossians 1:9-14 says,

“ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”

Colossians 1:9-14

I called this devotional “You Can Have It All,” but don’t let the title fool you. I’m not talking about having everything the world values—personal freedom, physical health, material possessions, etc.—but rather those things that are listed in today’s passage, those things that are of eternal value.

Let’s take a look at those.

Be Filled With The Knowledge Of God’s Will

The apostle prays that the Christians in Colossae will be

“filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

What does this mean?

Even if I understood it completely, it would take an incredibly long time to explain. However, as we look at the specifics of the following verses, we begin to get a good idea of what the apostle meant.

Why is it necessary to be filled with this kind of knowledge?

Walk In a Manner Worthy Of The Lord

This passage indicates that we cannot live as we should, “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,” if we don’t know His will. Of course this makes sense. If we don’t know what He expects of us, we won’t know what to strive for. We won’t recognize how drastically we need Him to give us the determination and strength to live as He desires.

Fully Pleasing To Him 

And that next phrase, “fully pleasing to him” … I don’t think it has ever jumped off the page as it did as I was preparing this devotional. How I would love to live a life fully pleasing to the Lord. Now that’s a goal worth devoting ourselves to.

Bear Fruit

The passage goes on to state that we are to bear fruit. We know from other scripture passages that God’s desire is for His sons and daughters to bear good fruit. Not only will this be a result of being filled with the knowledge of His will, but it will also lead to the accumulation of even more knowledge. We can all think of situations that we would refer to as vicious cycle. This circle, however, could be called a victory cycle.

Being Strengthened With All Power 

And now we come to another reference to all: “being strengthened with all power.” Our power? No. The passage goes on to say, “… all power, according to his glorious might.” Even the power of the wealthiest business owner or most commanding world leader is snuffed out when you compare it to God’s omnipotence. The power that created all that exists is the same power with which God strengthens us. Doesn’t that take your breath away?

For All Endurance And Patience With Joy 

And why does He exercise this power in our lives? The passage goes on to say, “… for all endurance and patience with joy.” Do you feel like giving up today? I believe everyone experiences this feeling from time to time. There is a saying that goes “life is hard and then you die.” Although, because we’re His children, God offers us a different perspective, sometimes this sums up how we feel.

A knowledge that leads to “all endurance and patience” can only come from the Lord. And it isn’t just a plodding on, putting one foot in front of the next and the next and the next. We can do so “with joy.” There are days happiness may be nowhere on our radar. However, there is a deep joy that surpasses any fleeting feeling of giddiness.

Knowledge of His will leads to hearts overflowing with thankfulness. We in Canada celebrated Thanksgiving recently, but thankfulness is to mark each day. May it be so.

We Are Chosen By God

And we certainly have much to thank God for when we consider the next portion of the passage. It says, “[He] has qualified [us] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” We didn’t earn the right. Remember Jesus had to die and rise again to pay the price for our sin and to defeat sin and death for all eternity. And yet, the Lord chooses to qualify us “to share in the inheritance of the saints.” 

In fact, in 2 Peter 2:9, it says something that’s equally, if not more, amazing. ”But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” What a breathtaking verse!

He Has Transferred Us To The Kingdom

And for a few moments let’s consider the implications of the verb tense the author chose, particularly for the last verse. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Did you catch that? From God’s perspective, it’s a done deal. Done. Finished. Complete.

Do we sometimes stumble around in the dark? We do.

Do we forget that what we perceive with our senses is only fleeting? Absolutely.

Do we realize when we live with eternity in mind, it may not change our situation, but it will most definitely change us? Let’s hope so—and or course, pray about it.

What do you think it means to know God’s will? We would love to hear from you. Share your comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio