Colossians 1:9-14 – “For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill^[ you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects—bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. ¹³ He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, the incredibleness and detail of God filled my thoughts.    

In Genesis 7:1 (NASB), God told Noah, “In you alone, I have seen to be righteous in this time.”   It was not “at” but “in” or during this time (age).  In contrast to the corruption and hybridization of humanity, Noah was pure. He was God’s vehicle to preserve the Messianic line.

Genesis 8:1, “But God remembered Noah…” Remembered here does not refer to something that had been forgotten, but to something held in the forefront of the mind for the purpose of action.

God’s promise (covenant) to Abram (Genesis 12) was sevenfold.  Be a great nation, have a great name, be a blessing, bless those who bless Abram, curse those who curse Abram, and “in” him all the families of the Earth will be blessed.

Now take those promises and step into Paul’s revelation in Colossians, and we see God’s incredibleness and attention to detail.   Nothing is missing in the work of the Cross.  Colossians 1:9-14 informs us that we are filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual understanding and wisdom, So That.   The “so that” is critical.  It expresses the reason and the need to be fully invested in Jesus and saturated with His Spirit and Word.

It is our enablement to live a life that is worthy of the name Christian. It enables us to bear fruit and increase in our knowledge of Him.  We draw strength from and live with the power of God manifest in us. Colossians 2 is indispensable for the believer.  The Cross is our assurance!

Colossians 3 gives us the pathway to peace and total victory.  “If” we have been raised up (born again), “then” in order to thrive, we must make God the top pursuit of our lives. Our actions (verse 2) – we set, focus, and fix our minds on Jesus.  We consider (KJV – mortify) our earthly bodies dead to… immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed. Failure invokes God’s wrath. Our action (verse 8 – put aside – anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive (hurtful & vulgar) speech.   In verse 10, we are directed to put on (embrace and practice) being New, renewed in true knowledge.

In verses 14-17, we find the fruit of God’s incredibleness and attention to detail.  We are to put on Love like a garment.  We are to let (allow or cooperate) with the Peace of Christ and the Word of God to dwell in us richly.

If we are focused on God, saturated with His Word, and overflowing with His Spirit, we will not only survive but thrive.  We will not only overcome but set captives free. We will become witnesses for Jesus with our lives.

God has provided for us to enjoy His fullness, but we must participate in His process.  If we continue living as the world does, motivated by the same passions, we will not thrive.  We are to be rooted in Him as we become built up and established in our faith.

We can’t live like we did before our conversion and have His peace and favor. If we are changed on the inside, the external will evidence it.