Saturday, October 4, 2014
"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: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might.” (Colossians 1:9-11)
We are always looking for something new. The latest gadget, the newest in automobile technology, a better TV, a faster computer, the latest fashions, a better diet…we have an infatuation with “new” and we’re constantly looking for “better.” Every weekday morning that I am at the gym I see an infomercial for some new workout, new weight loss supplement, new home gym equipment, or new drug that is supposed to shave off months of hard work so that “you can look and feel great now” (in my corny announcer voice)….”for only 4 easy payments of $19.95!” I think many of us have been duped into believing that lie and have a box of weight loss pills sitting on top of a cheap piece of exercise equipment somewhere in our basement collecting dust or repurposed in our bedroom as a hanger for yesterday’s clothes.
The early Christians had the same issue. In fact, when Paul wrote Colossians, a new doctrine was on the rise, a heresy similar to Gnosticism. One of the beliefs of this heresy was that to get closer to God one must acquire secret knowledge, hidden from most Christians. In other words, the Good News was no longer “good enough”; some people were looking for something new. There are two major take-aways that I get from the beginning of this letter. First, the gospel is not just good news, but it is the BEST news and cannot be improved with anything “new.” Secondly, the accumulation of special knowledge will not get you any closer to God.
As Paul prays for the Colossian church, he prays that God will fill them with wisdom and understanding through the Spirit, not the “secret knowledge” handed out by men. And this wisdom and understanding is not received for selfish reasons; it’s not just so a person can be closer to God or experience eternity with Him. Paul prays that the wisdom and understanding that God gives will help the church to live a life worthy of the Lord (a life that God would be pleased to watch as it is lived out), that bears fruit and is productive for the kingdom of God. Our goal as followers of Christ is not to just collect cool information about the Bible or spiritual things, but to gain the wisdom and understanding of God through the Holy Spirit that transforms us so that we can live lives that bless those around us. It all begins and ends with Christ - He is more than enough.
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