A Life Worthy of the Lord

…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 so that you may have great endurance and patience…

Colossians 1:10-11

Paul has just prayed that the Colossians would be filled with all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that they might understand God's will. Here he tells us what will happen as a result. First, we will live a life worthy of the Lord. When you understand what God has made you to be, you will become concerned about whether your behavior reflects his beauty, and what others will think of your God when they are watching you. We should be concerned about our impact upon others and what our actions make them think about our God.

The second thing that will flow from a knowledge of his will is we will seek to please him in every way. Our chief aim ought to be that we live in a way that delights God. What quality of life is pleasing to God? In the book of Hebrews we are told, Without faith it is impossible to please God! Faith is what pleases him. Every time Jesus approved or commended people, it was because of their faith. You have great faith, he said to the woman who pled with him to heal her flow of blood. Your faith is great, he said to a centurion who asked him to heal his servant. Whenever our Lord commends people for anything, it is because they believe him and act on what he says. That is what pleases God.

Here is the third result: bearing fruit in every good work. The fruit is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, and peace in our relationships and actions with regard to others; concern, compassion, encouragement, and help in a time of stress; bringing a word of peace into a troubled, hostile atmosphere. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. That is what Paul is talking about: bearing fruit in every good work.

A fourth result is we will grow in the knowledge of God. Seeking to walk worthy of God and to please him with fruitful activity results in knowing God more intimately. Knowing God is the most exciting thing that can ever happen to you! It is the secret of excitement and vitality in a life. People who know God are never bored. If you are bored, it is because you do not adequately know your God. He is an exciting, captivating Being, filled with fresh ideas, concepts and possibilities of which you never could have dreamed.

The final result is that we will be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience. The sign of true spiritual power is that we learn how to endure hardship. When you are faced with irritating circumstances or difficult people, it takes power to remain patient. Our natural tendency is to get upset or to become resentful and angry. It takes power to resist these when you feel them rising within you. Every believer has that power, and the sign is that they lead quiet, cheerful lives, that they hang in to the end.

Father, I desire to please you in everything I do. Reveal those ways of thinking and living that need to be transformed into that which pleases you. Amen.