“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:9-14).
Paul’s prayer for the saints in Colossae is that they would walk or live in such a way that is worthy of the Lord, that is becoming of a Christian, in harmony with what it means to be a Christian. The purpose of “being filled with the knowledge of His will,” v.9, is so that we can walk worthy of the Lord. In verses 10-14, Paul gives four elements of a walk that is worthy of the Lord, and we would do well to consider these in the way we are living.
First, a walk worthy of the Lord is one that is “fruitful in every good work.” Christians have not been saved to be served to but to serve the Lord and others. Christians are the good ground, who, “having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). We are to bear not only the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – but also the fruit of good works, doing “good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). When we think of good works, we should be reminded not only of good works God has given to us individually, such as loving neighbor and brother not only in word but in deed and in truth, but good works God has ordained for the church to accomplish collectively in the realm of edification, evangelism, and benevolence for needy saints. We may be inclined to first think of good works in the realm of physical needs, but without those being ignored we need to be concerned with good works that serve others’ spiritual needs. God’s grace teaches us to be “zealous for good works” (Tit 2:11-14). It’s not ok to be idle in the kingdom of God.
Another characteristic of a walk worthy of the Lord is “increasing in the knowledge of God.” This is growth in knowledge and discernment, and the word of God is the source – the Bible is the source document. There exists knowledge and philosophy that is “according to the tradition of men” (2:8), but Christians are devoted to growing in the knowledge of the word of God. This requires personal study and meditation of the Bible as well as devotion to the meetings of the church in which the word of God is taught and expounded upon. Christians must never stop growing this way. It’s not ok to just stay where you are now in your knowledge of God.
The apostle continues by saying that being “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy” is part of walking worthy of the Lord. An aim of increasing in the knowledge of God is a stronger faith that we need in order to endure trial, misfortune, and disappointments, and to do so with an inner peace and joy, not with murmuring, bitterness, or revenge. Many heroes of faith “through faith…out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle…” (Heb 11:33-34). With an increasing faith comes greater strength. It’s not ok for our belief and trust and obedience to be stagnant; it should be growing.
Finally, walking worthy of the Lord involves an attitude of gratitude in which we purposefully, actively, and continually give thanks to God the Father. He has redeemed us from slavery to sin through the blood of His Son. The spiritual blessings that flow from that include being “partakers of the inheritance” laid up for us in heaven and being “delivered from the power of darkness” – the realm of Satan where we once walked in sin, alienated from God. We’re not just delivered from that, but having been saved we have been transferred into the kingdom of Christ wherein are all the blessings and promises that accompany citizenship in that spiritual kingdom. It’s not ok to accept the past and present merciful gifts of the Father as simply ordinary, or even worse as owed; we ought to be living with a debt of gratitude which we never cease to express to God.
So here are four characteristics in verses 9-14 by which we may evaluate our walk and make improvement: Be fruitful in every good work. Increase in the knowledge of God. Be strengthened by the power of God through greater faith. Do not cease to give thanks. Make these your priority, “that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fulling pleasing Him.” -Larry Jones