concerning the will of God
March 24, 2011 (Thursday)
“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” (Colossians 1:9-10).
This was the prayer of Paul for the Colossian Christians. He wanted them to know God’s will, accept it, and live by it.
This is a prayer that you may know God’s will. Remember that Jesus prayed to His Father, “Not my will, but thine be done.” When He became certain of what the will of the Father was, he accepted it and did what the Father wanted done. Jesus had spiritual wisdom because he sought it. He wanted to know the will of the Father and once He knew, was obedient.
This is a prayer that you may accept God’s will. It’s possible to know what God wants, yet refuse to accept it. Jonah stands out as a man who did that. God made Jonah’s mission clear to him, but Jonah attempted to reject it, with awesomely unpleasant results. Once you know what the will of the Lord is, the only wise course is to accept it.
This is a prayer that you will do God’s will. When you know what His will is for you, and accept it, you then can actually do His will. Thousands of Christians have learned what the will of the Lord is for them, accepted it, and then acted upon it. God will make clear to you what He wants you to do for Him. It is then up to you to fulfill His calling in your own life.
“We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us” (Colossians 1:11-12 MSG).