Colossians 1:9-14

⁹For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. ¹¹May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We are on a journey.  Each of us has been on this journey since birth and throughout we have grown.  We learned to walk, talk and eat.  Our food has changed from milk to puree to solid food (hopefully balanced with protein, vegetables and grains!).  Our knowledge has expanded through academic study and “street smarts”.  We change.  We grow.

Our spiritual lives should also be growing.  Paul prays that the church “be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.”  This is not a stagnant faith, rather a growing process.

Motivational speaker and college football player “Inky” Johnson says; “We can’t be who we used to be and who we’re going to be at the same time!”  To become who God calls us to become, we must change, adapt, pray and grow.

As you start out this new week, take a close look around you – examine your surroundings and look for signs of God’s presence.  Notice how God creates and sustains the universe.  Look for changes as the weather changes.  Then examine yourselves.  Are you growing in the knowledge of God?  If not, are you trying to be who you used to be even though God is calling you to move forward?

Peace,

Pastor Bill