The Colossians were struggling with their understanding of what it means to be a Christian, to have a personal relationship with Jesus. The apostle Paul has highlighted faith, hope and love. This hope is the main theme in the book and it comes from the gospel.
The Gospel declares that Jesus Himself is available to each believer personally in the positives and negatives of life. From this hope comes faith. And, out of faith, then, comes love.
The Colossians were being threatened by a mountain of false teaching, threatening to destroy their faith, their heart's ability to see God.
In v.9, the Apostle shares a prayer for the Colossians. Everything else in this epistle flows out of this prayer. This prayer underscores the most important thing that you and I can do: to communicate with God.
The main idea in this prayer is that the Colossians might come to know God's will which is to know Him. If the believer begins to personally know God, everything that is needful will follow.
Most think the will of God is an itinerary we must discover, including where God wants us to go, and what God wants us to do. The will of God for us is that we come into a deep, intimate and personal relationship with Him. Everything else that is needed in our lives will flow out of knowing Him, including His calling on our lives.
The amazing truth of the good news is that Jesus Christ has made us alive to God. The primary curriculum of the Spirit is to mature us in our newfound relationship with Him. The more we understand who we are, holy in Christ, and what God has done to make us holy, the more our minds will change and we will embrace His wisdom. That is why Paul puts the knowledge of God's will first.
In v.9 we discover two things that enable us to discover the will of God. The first thing needed is "spiritual wisdom". This wisdom comes from the Spirit, not from us. This divine insight enables us to understand ourselves and how life functions. Truth is God's definition of all things. As God teaches us these things, we grow in our knowledge of Him which is His ultimate will for our lives. At this point we are being discipled by God.
The second thing we need is "understanding" which is the application of God's wisdom. The key is that we must discover how God sees our problems and what He says about them, in His word. Then there will come, as we pray and seek Him, a clear vision of what needs to be done emerges.
So when you open the Bible, pray that God will help you to understand what it says. As a result, you will begin to gain spiritual wisdom and understanding. In so doing, you will personally start to get to know God.
