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Let's Increase! The motivation for Paul's letter to the Colossians was their faith in Christ. He is writing to believers. He saw good things in them — their love for the other believers (v. 4), which was a proof of their faith! He also mentions their hope in heaven (v. 5). So these dear believers are on the right path, headed in the right direction — so what does Paul want to add? Paul's motive is to urge them onward and upward toward ongoing, unfolding and progressive knowledge and understanding of God and His will for our lives. Finding the right path is only the beginning — next, we must proceed to walk on that path, and stay on that path until we reach our destination.

Paul expresses his heartfelt desire for them to obtain all Christ has for them by praying this beautiful prayer for the believers at Colossi. These believers already have the seed of faith, a measure of love, and they have caught a glimpse of an eternal hope — the three are indeed the greatest virtues! (1 Corinthians 13:13). But this does not mean these virtues have come to their fullness. In fact, all things in Christ begin as a seed and must be nurtured to their fullness. This is why Paul prays that they would obtain an increasing understanding of God's will for their lives.

True Faith Wants to Grow — Some people are ready to receive help, while others struggle with that. It is virtually impossible to help those who do not actually want help. God respects the free will that He has given to man, and it is very rare that He will override it. Like the old saying goes: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

Downloads Take Time — Give God time. What was it that Paul wanted them to have more of? A greater knowledge of His will. Understanding God's will for us is one of the central themes of the Bible. Knowledge of that Will is not instantly received, like a downloaded file — it is rather a progressive unfolding of God's will. As we walk in what He reveals, we receive further revelation.

If you are going to go mountain climbing or hiking, there is one thing you HAVE TO HAVE — a good GPS. Paul prayed for the believers in Colossi that they would increase in the knowledge of God's will in two ways: in both spiritual wisdom, and spiritual understanding.

Let's start with spiritual understanding. The Greek word here has the thought of running together, flowing together — the idea of understanding how something actually operates and fits together with other pieces. When you learn a new language, one of the first things you need to know is what words mean generally. But then when you hear that word in combination with other words, it changes the broader meaning and application. And so it is with spiritual understanding — we need to increase in our understanding of what the Words of Christ mean when joined with other parts of His work in our lives. Often, in order to understand better, we need to come a step higher (Isaiah 55:8–9).

Secondly, the knowledge of God's will requires growing in wisdom. Wisdom is essentially the ability to make right choices in life, based on the availability of information and understanding. Wisdom allows us to know which decision to make, because we foresee the results of each decision and how that decision will impact others. Always growing, always advancing, always desiring more of God — always becoming a better man and husband and father, always becoming a better woman and wife and mother.

In verse 10, Paul continues by saying that we are filled with the knowledge of God's will so that we can walk worthy of the Lord. We carry the name of Christ in this life. He then continues: "fully pleasing to him" — we are made to please the Lord, to sit at His feet as did Mary. And we are to be fruitful in every good work. Even in our natural jobs, we are providing a service to people that is essential. In all our work, we should be fruitful, productive, efficient and diligent. This is pleasing to our Lord.

We all know that prayer is important. But are we actively praying for one another whenever we have the opportunity? The true strength of Christian relationships shines best when we pray for one another. Whenever Paul received news from his friends, it prompted him to pray and ask God to move in their lives. We are not called to do life alone, but we are called to community.

James brings this idea out when he says, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." We are not isolated branches — we need the prayers of one another (James 5:16). We are all connected as part of the vine, which is Christ (John 15). And this truth is magnified in marriage, where Paul says in Ephesians 5:28–29 that the man who loves his wife loves himself, because she is his flesh. Similarly, we are all part of the body of Christ — as each part does well, the other parts do well also.

Part of being a disciple is practicing a growing prayer life. Faith is the key ingredient in any heart that wants to grow in prayer! Faith reminds us that it is God who chose prayer as His means to accomplish His will through man, and He promises to respond to the prayers of His people.

Prayer brings actual results. James 5:16–18 shows a very clear connection between Elijah's prayers and the results. James uses it as an example to show how the fervent prayers of a righteous person are effective and powerful to bring about a change in realities. But in order for prayer to be potent, prayers must be mixed with faith (Matthew 21:21–22). Prayer is not something just for the pastor and elders. We are to pray for one another — not because we ourselves are powerful, but because our prayers go to an all-powerful God.

Prayer is more than wishful thinking. Sometimes prayer is portrayed as just having positive thoughts. While it is important to have a positive outlook in life, to reduce prayer to mere positive thoughts diminishes its power and diminishes the One who created it. Prayers are requests to the almighty God who has the power to do the impossible.

Prayer is actually knocking on God's door — it is wrapped up in dialogue, two-way understanding, where we seek to know God's will and ask for a divine outcome that only He can bring forth. Think of Abraham in Genesis 18:22–33, who labored with God by making specific requests on behalf of someone else, appealing to the One who had power. We too want to make our appeals to the One who can intervene!

Paul had the right desires in his heart for these believers, and he acted on it through prayer. But these desires came from knowing God's heart and will for these believers. When we move into prayer for others, we need to grow in our understanding of just how important it is to dig into the Word and find God's general will for every single believer. When we pray according to God's will, we can certainly expect good results — He promises to answer those prayers (1 John 5:14).

Today, here is an arsenal of Scripture prayers you can pray as blessings over the people God has placed in your life:

Paul's prayer that the Colossians be "filled with the knowledge of His will" leads us to ask: why is this so important? The answer is found in the emphasis of the whole Bible — a revelation of God's plans and will for His people. The Christian life is not binary, but progressive! Although every work is complete in Christ, we ourselves must advance from "glory to glory" as we go on to believe in Him. The idea of being "filled" indicates that this pursuit is not as simple as turning on a light switch — it is a process.

God's will is not hidden from mankind. Before we can talk about His specific will, we must first know and embrace God's general will for His children. As we walk in God's General Will, the specific will of God for us as individuals becomes ever so clear.

One aspect of walking in God's will is that we walk in Thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:18 and Colossians 1:12). Choosing to give thanks in all circumstances is fundamental and important. It applies to young and old, rich and poor, well-educated and those from the village. So much of the discontentment in the world today is because people choose not to be thankful for what they have, but rather compare themselves to what others have. This is probably the biggest challenge of social media — we are presented images of things that God did not intend for us, and this creates bitterness, envy, jealousy, and discontentment.

But God takes delight in those who overcome! Think of Job, who after losing everything in one day blessed God and worshipped (Job 1:21–22). I want to challenge you today and every day this week: make a list of things you are grateful for. Train your brain that every time you are ready to complain about something, instead you choose to thank God for something — this is God's will for you!

Although God's ultimate plans for us are heavenly, He is working out our Salvation here on earth. That is why He desires that His children walk in civil obedience, doing good in their communities (1 Peter 2:13–16). Jesus made it clear that it was not His desire for believers to be taken out of the world, but that they would reveal Christ by living as model citizens in their communities (John 17:15). We are called to be lights in this present world, which necessitates living among others who walk in darkness.

Even in all of this, God's will is clear — that we should walk as good citizens, respecting the laws of the land in all their various capacities, as long as they do not conflict with our worship of Jesus Christ. The original purpose of governments is to punish evildoers in the land, maintaining order so that we can have stability and rest. Christians are called to be partakers of a heavenly kingdom, and so must separate themselves from all culture and social norms that promote sin. That is why we must show our respect and obedience in every way that upholds the laws of a Holy God — as we live this way, we silence our accusers.

Our faith in Christ should not be an excuse to disown our civil responsibilities. What are some ways we can be good civil citizens? By being quiet and peaceable (1 Thessalonians 4:11–12), minding our own business, working with our own hands, earning our own bread, and being honest in all our affairs. Another part of doing good is to take care of the needs of the poor as we are able. As we perform good works and allow our provisions to bless others — this too silences the enemy and is a testimony to our faith in God.