Reflections for today

Colosians 1: 9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks [4] to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

There are so much to learn from the opening prayers of Paul's letters. It shows the relationship that Paul has with the local church, as well as his heart of desiring what is God's will for them.

(1)Persistency in prayer: "we have not ceased to pray for you..." This is a repeated lesson for me... to be persistent in prayer, and trusting that God will bring about the results in His own time and own ways; it struck me so hard to see that how inconsistent i have been in this aspect. cf Daniel 10 where Daniel prayed for 3 weeks (or 21 days) before an angel appeared to answer him with regards to his vision.

(2)Perspective of the spiritual world :"...you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding...."
The utmost important thing in any work is vision. Getting the big picture right would
set one up for success. It is never too wrong to encourage someone to be grounded in God's word, and to understand views in life and church with accordance to His Word.

(3)The right posture. "so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him" It occurred to me that most of these 'visionary' preachers' character is contrarary to that mentioned in the bible: humility before God, rightness with fellow men, rightness with fellow christians for that manner, Here's the challenge: am i building others? Are the things that i am doing pleasing,honouring and loving God?

(4)A product: "...bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.." without a doubt, faith leads to good works. is what i am touching turning into Godliness? and am i walking with a renewed awareness of God? this would be a marker for growth.