Friday's Follow-up Verses
Colossians 1:9-14
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e] 10 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, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Footnotes:
[e] Colossians 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
[f] Colossians 1:12 Some manuscripts us
Pondering Point
What would it be like to be a temple of God filled with a knowledge of His will through all wisdom and understanding of the Spirit? That is what Paul prays about for the Colossians – and what we seek from the churches we worship in.
This reading teaches that such a situation produces the fruit of good works, growth in the Lord, and godly power for great endurance and patience. Who doesn’t want that?!
But it isn’t just the church building where people show up. People may show up at your body-temple hoping for a knowledge of God’s will and some spiritual wisdom and understanding. And I like the idea of a temple of God being safe haven for others. Are you safe haven as a temple of God? Can people come to you and experience mercy rather than judgment? Can one experience God’s truth in kindness?
May God bless us to be temples that are havens for others seeking God and His mercy, even if they don't know that His mercy is what they are after. Now let’s practice praying scripture.
Prayer
Father God, fill us with the knowledge of Your will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives so that we may live a life worthy of You and please You in every way. We look forward to bearing fruit in every good work, growing in knowledge of You and being strengthened with all power by Your glorious might so that we may have great endurance and patience. In Jesus' name I/we pray. Amen.
Micro-Group Moment:
Re-Consecration of Your Body
Those of you who chose to follow the link for the prayer of consecration in Thursday’s devotion should recognize these words. I excerpted them from that longer prayer of consecration.
Discipleship Prayer
I present my body to Jesus Christ as a living sacrifice; I present the members of my body to Jesus Christ as instruments of righteousness.
My body has been bought with the blood of Jesus Christ and it belongs to Him. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. I renounce every way I have misused and abused my body; I bring all those acts under the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.
I rededicate my body and all its parts to the loving rule of Jesus Christ; I dedicate and consecrate my body to Him in every way. I ask for the blood of Christ to cleanse my body and make it holy once more.
Holy Spirit, come and fill your temple now; restore my body under the complete dominion of Jesus Christ.
Amen.