The Christian life is a life of growth.
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 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
Colossians 1:9-10
The greatest thing Paul can pray is that the Colossians would know God’s will and be filled with the wisdom and understanding of the Spirit. A life lived God’s way brings him pleasure and bears fruit. A life marked by God’s wisdom is the best life for us.
As far as ministry, there may be no better model to emulate than Paul. In many ways, Paul became Christ’s greatest apostle as he reached not only Jews but also much of the Gentile world.
In fact, God was so pleased with Paul’s ministry that he chose to set him as an example in the Scriptures of somebody to imitate.
Paul is a model, and his ministry should be our constant study. In this lesson, we will learn characteristics of effective ministers by studying Paul’s ministry to the Colossian church.
Paul describes a glorious cycle – as we grow in knowledge of God, our lives are transformed and we continue to grow in our knowledge of Him.
How does this happen? We pray that God would fill us with wisdom, but we are not passive.
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.
Proverbs 18:15
We grow in our knowledge of God by seeking him out.
We see this in the life of Paul. Despite planting churches and writing Scripture he was not complacent!
When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
2 Timothy 4:13
Paul asks for scrolls and parchments so he can continue his study. If Paul pursues the study of God, how much more should we?
Praise God that, we don’t have to wait for delivery of scrolls but we have easy access to many trusted resources to help us grow in knowledge of God.
Use this great opportunity for growth with Genesis University, a 100% online Tuition-Free education, with an array of Christ-centered programs to choose from. Study online from the comfort of your home, anywhere at anytime, to best prepare yourself to impact the world for Christ.
Source: The Bible Guy
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Genesis University.