“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9, 10).
The Christian life cannot be safely directed by human wisdom alone. We need the wisdom that comes from above. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally” (James 1:5).
God wants His children to seek His will, not merely ask Him to bless our will. The Lord Jesus Himself demonstrated this in Gethsemane: “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). That is the heart of surrender.
The Apostle Paul connects the knowledge of God’s will with wisdom and spiritual understanding. There is a difference between knowing Scripture intellectually and understanding how God’s Word should govern our lives.
A person can know many verses and still make foolish decisions. But when the Holy Spirit illuminates God’s Word, Scripture begins to become living guidance. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Word gives us the light; spiritual understanding helps us walk in that light. This is where knowledge becomes life.
Our faith must become visible in the way we live. To walk worthy of Christ means that our conduct should increasingly reflect the One whom we claim to follow. “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1). We cannot truly say, “I belong to Christ,” while deliberately choosing a life that continually contradicts Christ. Walking worthy does not mean that we become perfect overnight. It means that our direction has changed.
Although we stumble, fall, are corrected, and are tested, we continually rise, repent, obey, and press forward in our walk with Christ. The Apostle Paul’s desire is that the believer’s life should be pleasing to the Lord. He writes in Galatians 1:10: “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” True obedience to God means choosing His approval over the applause of the world, even when it requires standing alone.
A healthy tree produces fruit. A life genuinely connected to Christ should eventually produce spiritual fruit. The Lord Jesus said: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8). A tree produces fruit because it is rooted and connected to its source of life. We bear spiritual fruit when we abide in Christ: “He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit” (John 15:5).
The Christian life is not meant to remain spiritually stagnant. You should know Christ more deeply today than you did yesterday. Not merely know more information about Him, but know Him more intimately. The Apostle Paul himself, despite everything he had experienced, still cried: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). He had preached Christ, suffered for Christ, served Christ, and witnessed God’s power, yet he still said: “That I may know Him.”
There is always more of Christ to discover.
Ultimately, a life of surrender, obedience, and fruitfulness is only possible when we continuously seek His guidance.
A prayer for transformation: “Lord, fill me with the knowledge of Your will. Give me spiritual wisdom and understanding. Teach me to walk worthy of You. Let my life please You. Make me fruitful in every good work. And above everything else, let me continue increasing in the knowledge of You. Amen.”
