Paul T Reynolds

“For this reason [your faith and love], since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding…in order that you may a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way…” (Colossians 1:9-10)

Do you have a lot of knowledge about anything? It’s all relative isn’t it? After all there are some people if I talk to them about Scripture they might think me knowledgeable and I know there are others who would consider me ignorant. So does it not depend on who we are comparing ourselves to?

But Paul doesn’t invite the Colossians to compare themselves to anybody, or hope that they have more knowledge than some other group of Christians. He wants them to be full of the knowledge of God’s will.

Every time we make a decision about how to spend our money, who to be friends with, what job to take, where to live or who to marry. Or we are about to pursue a line of thought or speak our opinion there are many thoughts in our mind. Some of these may have been prompted by the Spirit, others by our sinful nature and somewhere between that first thought and the resulting word or action, our idea passes through a lens.

The lenses in spectacles are designed to correct the flaw in our eyes, whereby for some or all of what we see the signal sent to the brain normally gives a distorted picture. If that lens covers our eyes and has no flaw in it, all the light that enters our eye is perfectly redirected so that we see clear, focused pictures. But until that lens is big enough and totally pure, there will inevitably be times when we still have a distorted or blurry view.

God’s will in our heart is like that perfect lens, redirecting and refocusing our thoughts and inclinations. If we are filled with that knowledge we see the perfect picture of what is pleasing to God with every thought and every inclination being brought into a godly focus.

Note the path of which this knowledge is a part. It started at the Colossians’ faith and love, moving through spiritual wisdom and understanding into knowledge of God’s will, resulting in a life worthy of God’s calling that is pleasing to him.

Ask God for that faith and love which leaves room for spiritual wisdom and understanding. Ask him to fill you with the knowledge of his will so that every thought and every inclination is turned to him with no room for anything else.