“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.” (Colossians 1:9–10, ESV)

Today I prayed and then read my Bible. I read these verses in Colossians 1. Here’s what I learned from Colossians today.

The letter to the Colossians was written to instruct them in truth so they would not be swayed by false teachers. “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8, ESV) It seems that legalism and religious pluralism were infiltrating the church. Christians were getting confused on what they should believe and how they should live out their faith.

So Paul and his coworkers were praying for the Colossians. What did they pray? They prayed that they would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. They wanted the believers to become certain and convinced of the will of God. They wanted them to see the path ahead of them so they could proceed confidently.

They prayed that knowledge would come through spiritual wisdom and understanding. It isn’t of the natural mind. It is a supernatural understanding that comes from having the mind of Christ. “And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:13–16, ESV)

The purpose for living a life like this was to please God. Pleasing Him would include acting as children of the King should. It would also involve doing good works and growing in the knowledge of the Beloved. Paul had a great vision for the church at Colosse. He prayed toward that goal.

The final lesson I took away from all of this was that my vision for my friends and family is too small. My prayers are mainly about temporal things rather than eternal things. I forget that God “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20, ESV). I can expect more!

I need to get a bigger vision and prayer for greater things for my family and friends. In fact, I can just pray this prayer. I “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.” Lord, do a great work today in my household and in the communities to which I belong.