29/05/2013 - QUALIFIED FOR THE WORK OF GOD

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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 long suffering with joy;giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Colossians 1:10-12

The apostle Paul praised the Colossians’ faith; they learned this faith through Epaphras, a faithful minister of the Lord, through the Word of Truth – the Gospel. This way, by understanding the divine grace, they demonstrated great love, generated by the Holy Spirit; this caused the apostle and his group to pray for more, so that they’d overflow with knowledge of the divine will and spiritual understanding.

Paul’s request to them was that they’d walk in a way that was worthy before the Father, as there is no other way to please Him. Since God is worthy of respect, honor and praise, He doesn’t expect His servants to walk in a shameful way, blemishing His name and His glory, and this should be seen in the lives of all those who are accepted into the divine family.

The Lord must be pleased in everything, for He is pure, perfect, and there is absolutely nothing bad or shameful about Him. Therefore, by being a part of the body of Christ, the minimum that we should do is to act in a way that He is glorified. God is happy when we walk away from sin, when we run away from the appearance of evil and when we maintain a pure and loving heart (1 Thessalonians 5:22). By proceeding this way, there will be no one confronting the path He shows to us.

Just as any other people who love the Lord should do, the Colossians should be fruitful in every good deed, because this is a goal that we should seek. Every son and daughter of the Almighty should make their best to bear good fruit, following the example Jesus gave us. Also, the work of the Lord should be holy, just as He is, and we cannot exclude ourselves from this responsibility, or we could be condemned for doing His work deceitfully (Jeremiah 48:10a).

Paul also demonstrated a specific concern he had: the Colossians needed to grow in understanding, because without understanding, there wouldn’t be much divine manifestation among them. Well, people who don’t evolve in science will always be limited in knowledge. The Creator has left us great riches that help us to live better; however, people who don’t know these riches limit themselves and don’t receive many blessings that would make their lives easier.

In the Lord, there are all kinds of fortresses, and that’s why whoever understands and receives the power He has, becomes stronger in battle against their enemies. The good thing is that this strength is already ours through His glory and with praise. Therefore, be always thankful to the Father, who has made you qualified to take part in His inheritance with His saints. This way, in the name of Jesus, you will have the conditions to be victorious in all your battles.

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares