Life Talk Devotion 12/18/2023
In Colossians 1:9-12, we read the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the church in the city of Colosse:
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.
When I read this prayer, I see several ways in which as Christins we are to grow:
- Growing in knowledge and wisdom
- Growing in bearing fruit, the outward demonstration of what God has inwardly changed in you
- Growing in strength for joyful patience
- Growing in giving thanks
To be very honest, that list seems really intimidating. You can look at it and kick yourself for how you’re failing until you remember the very first part. Paul was praying for these believers that they would grow in these things, not telling them they had already arrived. The believers in Colosse still had a ways to go in all these areas. Just like me. And just like you.
I want to encourage you next time you bow your head to pray. It’s certainly not wrong to pray for Great Aunt Mildridge’s broken toe and Cousin Susie’s new job, but when is the last time you prayed for your friends, your family, or the people you sit with in Bible study and talk with in church? When is the last time you prayed for their growth or prayed for them to grow in wisdom to help in working out what God has worked into them, or that they would have joyful patience, and that they would grow in thankfulness?
If we’re going to grow in these ways, we can’t do it alone. We need our loving God to do in our lives what we could never do alone. And we need to support and pray for each other and for each of us to return the favor. May God be glorified as we grow ever more like Jesus Christ, His Son.
By Contributing Author: Tim Piette
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