Prayer for Longsuffering, Part X of X

Colossians 1:11-12

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."

God's Infinite Patience and Faithfulness

Meditate frequently upon the patience of God. What infinite patience He exercises toward us! He bears far more from us than we can possibly bear from Him. He bears with our sins whereas we bear only His chastisement, and sin is infinitely more opposite to His nature than suffering is to ours. If He is so long-suffering with our innumerable offenses, how inexcusable it is for us to fret and murmur at the least correction from His hand! Meditating on the faithfulness of God helps us to bear trials with more fortitude. There is no condition which needs more promises and there is none which has so many promises attending it as suffering and persecution. God has promised support under it Psalm 55:22, His presence in it Isa. 43:2, deliverance from it (1 Corinthians 10:13). He is faithful to His Word. Ponder His wisdom and goodness and you will find sufficient reason to acquiesce to His providences. If afflictions came by blind chance, we might indeed bemoan our hard fate; but since they are appointed by our omniscient and loving Father, they must be for our gain.

The more we set our hearts and hopes on creature enjoyments, the more bitter is our disappointment when they fail us or are taken away. Jonah was 'exceeding glad' for the gourd which the Lord prepared to shade and shelter him (Jonah 4:6), but he was 'angry, even unto death' (Jonah 4:9) when it withered away. This is recorded for our warning! If you immoderately value any earthly comfort, you will immoderately chafe at its removal. Pride is another enemy to patience. So is effeminate softness.

We will return to the subject of patience when we reach 2 Thessalonians 3:5. As for 'longsuffering', the term defines itself, signifying a prolongation of patience to the end of the trial. Yet in view of the connections in which those terms are found, we may distinguish between them thus: 'patience' looks more to the attitude of the heart Godward while we are being tried; 'longsuffering' respects our attitude toward the instruments which He makes use of in the trial. Thus, 'longsuffering' includes the ideas of being slow to anger with those who persecute or afflict us, meekly bearing for Christ's sake those injuries which His enemies inflict on us, refusing to retaliate when we are oppressed, following the example of our Master 'who, when he was reviled, reviled not again' (1 Peter 2:23).

Gleanings From Paul, A. W. Pink

Prayer for Longsuffering, Part IX of X

Colossians 1:11-12

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."

What Patience Does

Patience consists of tranquilizing or composing our minds, which issues in the quieting of our unruly passions. Very impatient persons who fret and fume within may express little emotion outwardly. That impatience which finds no external vent is the most injurious and dangerous to character, just as latent fevers, which lurk within and prey upon the body, may do much harm although they are not outwardly evident. Patience calms those storms and tempests which are apt to rise in the heart when a person is under any sore and heavy affliction. The emotions will be stirred, but this grace takes away the violence of them. All those turbulences and uproars of passions, all those wilful and wild emotions which distract reason and rend the soul, making us unfit for the service of God or the employment of our business - these patience out to quell, and in measure suppress. He who can rule his body better than his soul, his actions than his passions, lacks the principal part of patience.

All this must be done upon right grounds. This requires us to distinguish sharply between natural and Christian patience. There is a natural patience sometimes found in those devoid of true grace: such strength of character, fortitude of mind, tranquility of spirit, which often puts the people of God to shame. Yet that is only a moral virtue, proceeding only from natural and moral principles. How is the Christian who naturally is impulsive, fiery, fickle, to ascertain whether his patience is of a superior order? By the principles from which it proceeds, the motives actuating it, and the ends for which it is put forth.

Moral virtue proceeds only from the principles of reason, is actuated by such arguments as human prudence furnishes, and is exercised to promote self-esteem or the respect of our fellowmen. Many an unregenerate person, by a process of self-discipline, has hardened himself to bear the evils which befall him by persuading himself it is folly to rebel against fate and torment himself over the inevitable, telling himself that what cannot be cured must be endured, that to give way to peevishness is childish and will effect no good, and that to yield to a spirit of fury will only lower him in the eyes of others.

But spiritual patience proceeds from a principle of grace, is actuated by higher motives, and is induced by greatly superior considerations than those which regulate the most refined and self-controlled unregenerate person. Spiritual patience springs from faith (James 1:3) and from hope (Romans 8:25). Patience eyes the sovereignty of God, to which it is our duty to submit. It eyes His benevolence and is assured that the most painful affliction is among the 'all things' He is making work together for our good. It looks off from the absolute nature of the affliction, considered in itself, to the relative nature of it, as it is dispensed to us by God, and therefore concludes that though the cup is bitter, in our Father's hand it is salutary. though the chastisement itself is grievous, patience realizes it will make us partakers of God's holiness here and of His glory hereafter. Patience eyes the example Christ left us and seeks grace to be conformed to it. The Christian strives to exercise patience not out of self-esteem, because he is mortified when his passions get the better of him, but from a desire to please God and glorify Him.

The careful reader will find in the last three paragraphs several hints on those means which are best suited to promote and strengthen patience, such as faith, hope, love. But we will mention one or two others among which we place high the complete resigning of ourselves to God. Since most outbursts of impatience are occasioned by the crossing of our wills, it behooves each Christian to daily ascertain how fully his will is surrendered to God, and to be diligent in cultivating a spirit of submission to Him. While complete yieldedness to God does not include reducing of ourselves as serfs to our fellowmen, still less the condoning of the wrongs they have done, yet it does require us to be not unduly occupied with the instruments of our afflictions, but rather to look beyond them to Him who has some good reason for using them to stir up our nests.

Gleanings From Paul, A. W. Pink

Prayer for Longsuffering, Part VIII of X

Colossians 1:11-12

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."

Patience in Affliction

Nor does patience oblige us to continue in afflictions when we may warrantably free ourselves from them. The eminent Puritan, Ezekiel Hopkins, rightly pointed out that when God sends heavy afflictions our way, we ought to, for principles of self-preservation, try to free ourselves from them; otherwise we sin against nature and God. Generally, whatever calamity we experience, it is not patience but obstinacy to refuse deliverance when we can obtain it without violating our duty or dishonouring God.

Positively, patience consists of a willing submission to the dispensations of divine providence. When Job said, 'Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?' (Job 2:10), that was the language of patience. 'The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?' (John 18:11) was the supreme example of this grace. It is the ready acquiescence of the soul to whatever God sees fit to lay upon it. It is the calm enduring of provocation and persecution, especially trial which comes unexpectedly. It is a steady and thankful bearing of all troubles, however grievous and long protracted, mortifying the opposite passions of fear, anger, anxiety, inordinate grief; refusing to be overwhelmed by those troubles, persevering in the discharge of duty to the end; relieving oneself by faith in what is to be had in God by communion with Him: resting in His love, leaning on His arms, and encouraging oneself by expectation of that eternal and blessed glory which awaits us after our appointed race is run.

Gleanings From Paul, A. W. Pink

Prayer for Longsuffering, Part VII of X

Colossians 1:11-12

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness' giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."

The Grace of Patience

Patience is not stoical apathy toward the divine dispensations. It is no narcotic virtue to stupefy us and take away the sense and feeling of afflictions. If it had any such opiate quality, there would be nothing commendable or praiseworthy in it. That is not suffering which is not to be patience. We have witnessed the mass of our fellowmen stupefied and insensible under the hand of God, taking no notice of Him when His judgments fell heavily upon them, enduring them with stolidity, or rather moral stupidity; but the senseless boast 'We can take it' was no more patience than is the non-writhing of a block of wood when it is sawed and planed. Patience quickens the sufferings of the saint, for he refers the sufferings to his deserts. Consciousness of his sins in provoking God pierces his conscience and brings pain to his inner man also. But the wicked look only upon what they suffer, and make no reflection upon their deserts.

Nor does the grace of patience stifle all modest complaints and moderate sorrow. A patient Christian is permitted this vent through which his grief may find relief. Grace does not destroy but regulates and corrects nature. God allows His children to shed tears so long as the course of them does not stir up the mud of their sinful passions and violent affections. It is not wrong to complain about what we suffer so long as we do not complain against God from whom we suffer. We may lawfully, and without any breach of patience, express our grief in all outward and natural signs of it so long as that agitation does not exceed its due bounds and measures. Job, who is commended to us as the great example of patience, when he received the sad news of the loss of his estate and his children, 'rent his mantle and fell down upon the ground' (Job 1:22). The disciples made 'great lamentation' over Stephen (Acts 8:2).

Gleanings From Paul, A. W. Pink

Prayer for Longsuffering, Part VI of X

Colossians 1:11-12

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."

The Particular Kind of Patience in View

We must now inquire into the nature of patience, or, more specifically, the particular kind of patience which is here in view. It is a steady persisting in duty which keeps one from being deterred by opposition or fainting under suffering. Actively, it finds expression in perseverance, or refusing to quit the race because of the difficulties or length of the course.  Passively, it appears in a meek and quiet spirit, which endures afflictions without complaining.  Primarily, though perhaps not exclusively, it is the latter that is spoken of here, namely , that frame of heart which bears submissively whatever trials and tribulations the Lord calls one to pass through. It is very much more than a placidity of temper which is not unduly provoked by the common irritations of life, for often that is more a matter of healthy nerves than a virtuous exercise of the mind and will. Grace is more potent than nature: it can make the timid courageous, cool the most hotheaded, quiet the impetuous. Grace works submissiveness in the most impulsive. It makes our hearts calm when outward circumstances are tempestuous, and though God lets loose His winds upon us, He can keep us from being discomposed by them and lay the same command upon our passions as upon the angry waves: 'Peace, be still' (Mark 4:39).

Gleanings From Paul, A. W. Pink

Prayer for Longsuffering, Part V of X

Colossians 1:11-12

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;"

The Believer's Privilege and Duty

It is both our privilege and our duty to 'come boldly [or freely] unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy [for past failures], and find grace to help in time of need' (Heb. 4:16). Often we have not because we ask not, or because we ask amiss. Grace must be sought believingly, fervently, perseveringly. Moreover, there has to be a daily feeding on 'the word of his grace' (Acts 20:32) if the soul is to be 'nourished up in the words of faith' (1 Tim. 4:6). If we neglect our daily bread, fail to meditate on and appropriate a regular supply of manna, we soon become feeble and faint.

Further, exercise is essential: we must use the grace already given us if we would obtain more (Luke 8:18). Spiritual strength is not given to release us from the fight of faith, but to furnish and fit us for the same. Grace is not bestowed on the Christian in order that heaven may be won without engaging in a fierce conflict, as many seem to think, but in order that the believer may be 'strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might'. Therefore he is urged to put on the whole armour of God and thus be able to stand against 'the wiles of the devil' (Eph. 6:10-11). We are strengthened with all might 'unto [for this end] all patience.'

Gleanings From Paul, A. W. Pink

Prayer for Longsuffering, Part IV of X

Colossians 1:11-12

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;"

Help Available as Needed

Again we see what an exalted standard of conduct is set before us, yet at the same time what blessed supplies of help are available.  Do not say such a standard is utterly unattainable when the Lord declares, 'My grace is sufficient for thee' - sufficient not only to benable you to endure 'a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet' but also to make you resolve, 'Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me' (2 Cor. 12:7,9).  Do not look in unbelief on either the number or might of your enemies or on your own weakness, but in the confidence of humble but expectant faith say, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me' (Phil. 4:13).  Is not this 'glorious strength' indeed, which enables its recipients to persevere in the path of duty notwithstanding much opposition, to bear up manfully under trials, yes, to rejoice in tribulations?  What a glorious power is this which is proportioned to all we are called upon to do and suffer, enabling us to resist the corruptions of the flesh, the allurements of the world, and the temptations of the devil: which keeps us from sinking into abject despair or making shipwreck of the faith; which causes us to hold our course to the end.

How is 'all might' secured?  Some would say it is by no endeavour of ours; we in our helplessness can do no more in obtaining grace for the soul than the parched ground can do in causing refreshing showers to descend from heaven; we must submit to God's sovereign determination and hope for the best.  But that is a denial of the Christian's responsibility.

God indeed asks nothing from the ground, for it is an inanimate and irrational creature.  But it is far different with moral agents - the more so when He has regenerated them.  'For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required' (Luke 12:48).  And much has been given to the one born of God: Christ is his in the forgiveness of sins, the Holy Ghost indwells him, life has been communicated to his soul, faith imparted to his heart; and therefore much may justly be required of him.  Grace is not some mysterious influence which fortuitously descends and enters into the Christian's heart irrespective of how he acts.  The opening words of our verse intimates the opposite, for 'strengthening' implies God's blessing on our use of suitable means - whether it is the strengthening of the body, the mind, or the spiritual life.  Observe, the first 9though not the only) means is an earnest and importunate crying to God.

Gleanings from Paul, A. W. Pink

Prayer for Longsuffering, Part III of X

Colossians 1:11-12

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:"

What the Apostle Prays For

First, the apostle prays that the saints might be 'strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power'.  Such language implies that it was not ordinary strength for which he here asked, but rather unusual 'glorious power' for the particular task in view.  His language argues that he had in mind an exercise of grace more difficult than any other, one from which our constitutions are so naturally remote that more than ordinary diligence and earnestness must be put forth by us at the mercy seat in obtaining this urgently needed supply.  Every act of grace by us must have an act of divine power going before it to draw it forth into exercise.

As the 'work of faith' is 'with power' (2 Thess 1:11), so the work of faith to bear afflictions requires divine strengthening of the soul; and to acquit ourselves with 'all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness' necessitates our being 'strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power.'

To be 'strengthened with all might' signifies to be mightily strengthened, to be given a supply of grace amply sufficient for the end in view.  It means spiritual energy proportioned to whatever is needed, with all the believer may have occasion for, to enable him to discharge his duty and carry himself in a manner pleasing and honouring to God.  'According to his glorious power' implies both the excellence and sufficiency of it.  The glory of God's power is most seen when it appears as overcoming power, when victory attends it, as when we read that 'Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father' (Rom. 6:4).  Thus the apostle sets over against our utter weakness the 'all might' of divine grace, and 'his glorious power' against our sinful corruption.  The special use to which this strength was to be put is 'unto all patience', that is, sufficient for the enduring of all trials; and 'longsuffering' would be patience drawn out to its greatest length; 'with joyfulness' signifies not only submitting to trials without repining, but doing so gladly, rejoicing in the Lord always.  This third petition, then, was for a supply of grace that would enable the saints to bear all trials with meek subjection, persevering constancy, and cheerfulness of spirit.

Gleanings from Paul, A. W. Pink

Prayer for Longsuffering, Part II of X

Colossians 1:11-12

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:"

Knowledge of God Through Obedience to His Precepts

Finally, a still closer connection may be seen in linking the closing clause of verse 10 with what follows in verse 11: 'increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness'.  This will be the more apparent as we bear in mind the particular kind of 'knowledge of God' which is spoken of here: not one that is obtained by theological study and reasoning, nor even by meditative devotions, but rather one which is acquired through obedience to His precepts.  The order of the Greek - 'increasing in the knowledge of God: with all might being strengthened' - makes this still clearer: the latter follows upon the former.

Those who have schooled themselves to heed God's commandments will find it far easier than others do to submit themselves to His providential will.  those who have lived to please God rather than themselves are the ones least likely to be stumbled by afflictions, and are the last to sink in despair under them.  Those who are zealous of good works will possess their souls with patience in adversity and cheerfully endure when the enemy rages against them.

We are the losers if we do not pay the closest attention to the order of the petitions in the prayers of the apostle and the relation of one petition to the other; for we not only fail to perceive their real import but miss valuable lessons for our spiritual lives.  those who cursorily scan them instead of giving them prolonged meditation rob their own souls.  Many Christians bemoan their lack of 'patience' under affliction.  These must be startled if not staggered by weighing this expression, 'longsuffering with joyfulness'.  Yet how few of them are aware of the reason why they are strangers to such an experience.  That cause is here plainly revealed: it is due to the fact that they have been so little 'strengthened with all might according to his glorious power'.  And that, in turn, is because they have 'increased' so little 'in the knowledge of God', i.e., that personal proving of the goodness, the acceptableness, and the perfection of the will of God (Rom. 12:1), which is obtained through obediently walking with Him, making a point of pleasing Him in all things, and 'being fruitful in every good work.'  Failure in the practical side of our Christian lives explains why our 'experience' is so unsatisfactory.

'Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness' (verse 11).  It will appear to some of our readers that we are drawing out this series to a wearisome length, but others will be thankful to find in them something more profitable than the brief and superficial generalizations which characterize most of the religious literature of this day.  Our aim in them is to not only furnish bare expositions of the passages before us but to foster a spirit of devotion and provide that which will be of practical use in the daily life of the Christian.  Take this present verse as an example.  It is indeed important that the reader should obtain a correct idea of the terms used in it, yet he needs much more than that.  To supply a full and lucid definition of what 'patience' is, and then to exhort one who is in acutely trying circumstances to exercise that grace, will be of little real help.  To tell him to pray for an increase of it is saying nothing more than he already knows.  but to point out how patience is worked and increased in us, what are the means for the development of it and the things which hinder - in short, what God requires from us in order to increase its growth - will surely be more to the point.

Gleanings from Paul, A. W. Pink

Prayer for Longsuffering, Part I of X

Colossians 1:11-12

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of saints in light:"

'Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness' (verse 11).  This is the third petition of the prayer, and we will begin our remarks upon it by pointing out its relation to those preceding it, particularly verse 10 ["that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"].  First, it seems to us that whereas verse 10 treats more of the active side of the Christian life, verse 11 has more definitely in view its passive side.  Or, to express it in another way, whereas the former intimates the use we should make of communicated grace in a way of doing, this teaches us how to improve that grace in a way of suffering.  And is not this usually the order in which divine providence affords the saint occasion to discharge each of those responsibilities?  When the Christian is young and vigorous, those graces which are expressed in the performing of good works are afforded their fullest opportunity.  But as natural strength and youthful zeal abate, as trials and infirmities increase, there is a call for another set of graces to be exercised, namely, patience and long-suffering.  Even in old age, or even while lying upon a bed of sickness and helplessness, the Christian walks worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing if he meekly bears his appointed lot and does not murmur.  And certainly he is bearing fruit to the glory of God if he endures his trials cheerfully and is 'longsuffering with joyfulness'.

The Consequence of 'Walking Worthy of the Lord'

But we may trace a yet closer relation between the two verses.  If by grace the child of God is enabled to walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him well, being fruitful in every good work, what is certain to be the consequence?  He will not only increase in the practical knowledge of God but also incur the hatred of his fellowmen.  The closer he cleaves to the standard set before him, the more conscientious he is about wholly following the Lord, the more he will stir up the enmity of the flesh, the world, and the devil.  The more he endeavours to deny self and be out and out for Christ, the more opposition he will encounter, especially from those who profess but do not possess, who detest none so much as those whose uncompromising strictness exposes and condemns their vain pretensions.  Yes, young Christian, you must be fully prepared for this and expect nothing else.  The closer you walk with Christ the more you will be persecuted.  And what does such opposition, such hatred, such persecution and affliction call for from us?  What will enable us to stand our ground and keep us from lowering the banner?  What but being 'strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness?

Gleanings from Paul, A. W. Pink

Quote for the Day

"Make no mistake upon this point: the Holy Spirit must first quicken the dead soul into newness of life before the Word obtains any entrance."

 -A. W. Pink

Prayer for a Worthy Walk, XXVI of XXVI (The End)

Prayer for a Worthy Walk

Colossians 1:9-10

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge ofhis will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

The School of Christ

This knowledge cannot be acquired by art or taught us by men, no, not even by the ablest 'Bible teachers'.  It can be learned nowhere but in the school of Christ, by practising His precepts and being fruitful in every good work.  Yet this increase in the knowledge of God does not follow automatically upon our performing good works, but only as God Himself is sought - a matter of first moment although frequently overlooked.  As there were those who followed Christ during the days of His flesh for the loaves and fishes or because they were eager to witness His miracles, and not because their hearts were set upon Him, so there are some in the religious world today who are active in various forms of good works, yet they do not perform them out of love for or gratitude to Christ.  The good works of the Christian must not only be wrought by faith which works by love, but his aim in doing them must be the glory of God.  That should be our chief design and end in all duties and ordinances - in reading the Word or in hearing it preached, in prayer, and in every act of obedience: not to rest in the good works, but to learn more of God in them, through them, and from them.

The greatest need and the genuine longing of every regenerate soul is to increase in the  knowledge of God.  Yet most are slow in discoving the way in which their longing may be realized.  Too many turn from the simple and practical to bewilder themselves by that which is mystical and mysterious.  It should be obvious to even the babe in Christ that if he forsakes the paths of righteousness he is forsaking God Himself.  To know God better we must cleave more to Him, walk closer with Him.  Communion with God can only be had in the highway of holiness.  The previous clauses of Colossians 1:10 reveal what is required from us in order to gain an increasing knowledge of God.  If we are diligent and earnest in seeking to walk worthyily of the Lord and to please Him in all tings, being fruitful in every good work, the outcome will be more intimate fellowship with Him, a better acquaintance with His character keepeth, an experimental realization that His commandments 'are not grievous', daily proofs of His tender patience with our infirmities, and fuller discoveries of Himself to us.  'He that hath my commandments, and them, he is it that loveth me ... and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him' (John 14:21).  God manifests His delight toward those who delight in Him.

This increasing in the practical knowledge of God is more an intensive thing than an extensive one: that is to say, it is not adding to our store of information about Him but becoming more experimentally acquainted and being powerfully affected with what is already known of Him.  It consists not in further discoveries of God's perfections, as in a livelier appreciation of them.  As the Christian earnestly seeks to walk with Him in His ways, he obtains a growing acquaintance with God's grace in inspiring him, His power in supporting, His faithfulness in renewing, His mercy in restoring, His wisdom in devising, and His love in appointing a course wherein such pleasure is found and whose paths are all peace.  This is indeed practical and profitable knowledge.  The more we know of God in this way, the more we shall love Him, trust in Him, pray to Him, depend upon Him.  But such knowledge is not acquired in a day, nor fully attained in a few short years.  We grow into it gradually, little by little, as we make use of both the divine precepts and promises, and from a desire to please and glorify Him, and with the design of having communion with Him.

Prayer for a Worthy Walk, XXV of ?

Prayer for a Worthy Walk


Colossians 1:9-10
"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

An Increase in the Knowledge of God

It is not simply an increase in 'knowledge' which is here spoken of but 'increasing in the knowledge of God', which is a vastly different thing.  This is a kind of knowledge for which the wise of this world have no relish; it is one to which those with empty profession are total strangers.  There are many who are keen 'Bible students' and eager readers of a certain class of expository and theological works - works which explain types, prophecies, and doctrines, but contain little or nothing that searches the heart and removes carnality - and they become quite learned in the letter of Scripture and in the intellectual apprehension of its contents, yet have no personal, saving, or transforming knowledge of God.  A merely theoretical knowledge of God has no effectual influence upon the soul, nor does it exert any beneficial power on one's daily walk.  Nothing but a vital knowledge of God will produce the former, and only a practical knowledge of Him secures the latter.  A vital and saving knowledge of God is His personal revelation of Himself to a soul in quickening power, whereby He becomes an awe-inspiring but blessed reality.  All uncertainty as to whether He is or as to what He is, is now at an end.  That revelation of God creates in the soul a panting after Him, a longing to know more of Him, a yearning to be more fully conformed to Him.

It is not so much increasing in the vital or even the devotional knowledge of God of which our text speaks but rather what that issues in, which, for want of a better term, we designate the practical knowledge of God.  The passage before us in Colossians 1:10 is very similar to that word of Christ's 'If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine' (John 7:17).  As the Christian is in earnest about walking becomingly of the Lord, and as he is diligent in performing good works, he discovers by practical experience the wisdom and kindness of God in framing such a rule for him to walk by.  He obtains personal proof of 'that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God' (Rom. 12:2) and is brought into a closer and more steady communion with Him, and procures a deeper appreciation of His excellence.  'Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord' (Hos. 6:3).  This is both the appointed way and means for such attainment.  If we perform the prescribed duty, we shall receive the promised blessing; if we tread the path of obedience, we shall be rewarded by an increasing and soul-satisfying knowledge of the excellence of our Master.

Prayer for a Worthy Walk, XXIV of ?

Prayer for a Worthy Walk


Colossians 1:9-10
"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

Good Fruit Includes and Involves Holy Affections

That word of Christ's 'Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit', supplies further confirmatin of what we have pointed out above.  In a very real sense it is the saints' fruit: 'ye bear'.  Though the fruit indeed comes by divine energizing, notwithstanding it is by their own activity.  But observe too and admire the strict accuracy of Scripture.

It does not state 'that ye produce much fruit', for God is both the original and efficient Cause of the fruit.  Mark the beautiful harmony of the two verses: 'Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work';  'Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.'  By doing so you exhibit the power and reality of His transforming grace, display the lineaments of His image, reflect the beauty of His holiness.  'Much fruit' involves and includes the exercise of all holy affections: not merely some acts of holiness, but the putting forth of every grace in all the variety of their actings, not only inwardly but outwardly as well, labouring to abound in them, and this not spasmodically and only for a season, but steadfastly.  As long as we are left on earth, we are to 'bring forth fruit with patience' (Luke 8:15), persevering in it.

'Being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God' (Col. 1:10).  Observe that those two things are not separated by a semicolon but are linked together by and 'and', the latter being closely connected with and dependent upon the former.  'Increasing in the knowledge of God' is the reward of 'walking worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work.'  Or, if some of our readers prefer the expression, it is the effect of it, though they should not object to the former when Scripture itself declares that 'in keeping of them [the divine statues] there is great reward' (Psa. 19:11) a considerable part of which consists in a growing acquaintance with and a deeper delight in the Lord.  Our Saviour said, 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life' (John 8:12).  What does it mean to follow Christ but to yield to His authority, practice His precepts, and keep His example before us?  The one who does so will not be the loser but the gainer.  He will be delivered from the power and misery of sin, and made the recipient of spiritual wisdom, discernment, holiness, and happiness: in a word, he shall enjoy the light of God's countenance.  So the consequence of a sincere endeavour to please the Lord and glorify Him by bearing much fruit will be an increase in our experimental knowledge of God.

Prayer for a Worthy Walk, XXIII of ?

Prayer for a Worthy Walk

Colossians 1:9-10

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

Saints to Walk in Newness of Life

When God in His sovereign benignity communicates grace to a person it is for the purpose of equipping him for the better discharge of his responsibilities.  That is to say, grace is given to animate and actuate all the faculties of his soul.  And what He works in, we are to work out (Phil. 2:12-13).  Having imparted life to His people,, He requires them to walk in newness of life.  Having bestowed faith on them, He expects that faith to be active in producing good works.  Or, following the order of this prayer, if we have been ‘filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding’ it is in order that we ‘might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work.’  Those last words express both variety and abundance.  It is not fruitfulness of one kind only, but of every sort.  Said the Lord Jesus, ‘Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit’ (John 15:8).  Alas, that any of His children should be content if they can just be persuaded that they bear a little fruit and thereby be convinced they belong to His family – setting more store on their own peace than upon their glorifying Him.  Little wonder their assurance is so feeble.

Prayer for a Worthy Walk, XXI of ?

Prayer For A Worthy Walk

Colossians 1:9-10

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

Our Conduct and Dealings with Others

But it is not only in the devotional side of our lives that we may give delight to

God. Different by far is the teaching of His Word. The Lord takes notice not only of our attitude toward and actions to Himself but also of our conduct and dealings with our fellowmen. We may please Him – and it should be our diligent aim to do so – in the shop, home, factory, office. ‘A false balance is an abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight’ (Prov. 11:1). Under that word balance we are to include all weights and measures, descriptions of articles, and profits from them. Such a verse as that should be carefully pondered and kept constantly in mind by all who are engaged in any form of business, whether they are employers or employees, weighing all their words and deeds. To misrepresent a piece of merchandise, to overcharge, or to deliberately short-change a customer, is a grievous sin. Though it may escape the notice of men, it is recorded against us by the Holy One, and we shall be made to pay dearly for the same. Contrariwise, to be fair and honest in our trading is pleasing to God: ‘Such as are upright in their way are his delight’ (Prov. 11:20).

God Refuses the Homage of the Unjust

Not only does God take notice of and record the sins of those who are guilty of unjust and fraudulent practices but He refuses their hypocritical homage. There is no bribing of the divine Judge, nor can He be imposed upon by a pious demeanour in those who wrong their fellows. They who grind the faces of the poor through the week and, equally, those who fail to supply a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay only mock the Lord when they sing His praises and make an offering to His cause on the Sabbath day. ‘The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight’ (Prov. 15:8). The external acts of worship of those whose business dealings are corrupt are an offence to the Most High, and it is the sacred duty of pastors to announce it. ‘He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law [which enjoins loving our neighbour as ourself], even his prayer shall be abomination’ (Prov. 28:9). We do but deceive ourselves if we imagine God hearkens to our petitions while our everyday lives betray our devotions. On the other hand, ‘the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth [favourably] behold the upright’ (Psa. 11:7). Everything we do either pleases or displeases God.

To walk worthily means to conduct ourselves becomingly, to act agreeably to the Name we bear, to live as those who are not their own. To walk ‘worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing’ is to be uniformly and universally obedient, taking no step without the warrant of God’s Word, seeking His approbation and honour in every department and aspect of our lives. ‘Being fruitful in every good work’ is a further extension of the same thought, evincing again how high and holy is the standard at which we should aim continually. Grace is no enemy to good works; it is the promoter and enabler of them. It is utterly vain for us to speak and sing of the wonders of divine grace if we are not plainly exhibiting its lovely fruits. Grace is a principle of operation, a spiritual energizer which causes its possessor to be active in good works and makes him a fruitful branch of the Vine. It is the empty professor who is viewed as a barren tree, a cumberer of the ground. By the miracle of regeneration God makes His people ‘good trees’ and they bear good fruit.’ It is their privilege and duty to be ‘fruitful in every good work’, and in order to do so they must constantly endeavour to ‘walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing’.

Prayer for a Worthy Walk, XX of ?

Prayer For A Worthy Walk

Colossians 1:9-10

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

The Cultivation of Faith

If we are to ‘walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing’, we must be most attentive to the cultivation of faith, for ‘without faith it is impossible to please him’ (Heb. 11:6). The more fully and constantly we trust Him, the more we walk by faith, the more will the Lord delight in us. God is pleased when we cling to Him in the darkness, look to Him for the fulfilling of His promises, count upon His loving kindness. But He is displeased when we doubt His Word or suspect His love. Faith in God, in His precepts, in His promises, is the grand and distinguishing principle which is to actuate all our conduct.

‘By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually . . . giving thanks to his name. but to do good and communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased’ (Heb. 13:115-16). Then let us not be backward in offering them. God loves to hear the songs of His children. The ‘sweet psalmist of Israel’ is how He designated David (2 Sam. 23:1). ‘Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me’ (Psa. 50:23). Praise is an exalting of God’s name, a proclaiming of His excellence, a publishing of His renown, an adoring of His goodness, a breaking open of the box of our ointment; therefore it is a ‘sweet savour’ to Him, ‘. . . magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox’ (Psa. 69:30-31). How comforting that was for the one who was unable to bring Him a costly offering! Let us be frequently engaged in this delightful exercise of praise, and act like spiritual larks.