Colossians 1:9-12
9 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; 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; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father...
Paul goes on to tell them what he has been asking the Lord to do for them. Paul has many prayers in his epistles, and it is good to note that these prayers are always for spiritual things. You never read of him praying for their finances or any physical need for that matter. He is concerned with the spiritual needs of these people. If they become spiritually mature people and seek his kingdom first, all the things of this life will be added to them. This is not to say that he doesn't care for the needs of saints, he was commanding the churches to collect funds for the poor saints at Jerusalem, but this wasn't a prayer but a practical exhibition of the love of God.
His prayer for these people begins in verse 9 and in verse 12 the prayer shifts to the exaltation of God the Father and in verse 14 he shifts to exalting Jesus. This prayer makes the following request: "that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." The following verse shows us the blessings that are annexed to this request. Being filled with the Knowledge of his will causes us to "Walk worthy" "Be fruitful" "Increase in the Knowledge of God" be "Strengthened with his might" to the end that we might be longsuffering and patient, and to "Giving thanks unto the Father." This is no small revelation, but a key of sorts has been presented to us in these verses. If we can "be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding" then the door will be opened to the spiritual blessings we find in verses 10-12. So before we consider the effects let's consider the cause.
"Filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."
The word filled means to cram full. This word means to have every space in the vessel full like water fills a vessel. We are the vessels the question is, what are our vessels being filled with? The Colossians had been filled with Gnosticism, which taught many different superstitious beliefs such as "Worshipping of angels" [Col 2:18] and superstitious practices such as observing days, abstaining from meats, and so on [Col2:16]. This is what they had been filling themselves with, foolish superstitions and false mixtures of truths and lies. A filling of one's self with these sorts of things has an opposite effect, instead of it causing us to walk worthy, it will "beguile" [2:4] spoil, and deceive [2:8].
What have we filled our vessels with? Many authors, speakers, and so-called ministers operate under the title and guise of Christianity but are nothing more than false teachers of philosophy, and their teachings beguile, spoil, and deceive. Our televisions, radios, phones, and Christian bookstores are filled with them. You will not be "filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding" by reading these books or listening to their sermons. It would benefit us to be more in the scripture than any other book, then we can begin to judge men's books by God's, instead of God's book by men's.
Paul prays for them to be filled with the knowledge of God's will and then spends the next 4 chapters putting legs on his prayer by teaching them about the very thing that he is praying will happen. Therein is the answer to how we can be filled with the knowledge of his will. Through his word, being filled with his word will mean that we are filled with the knowledge of his will. I mean crammed full of the Word, waking up with it, studying it, meditating upon it, how full our lives would be if we would fill it with the water of the Word!!
Philosophies, superstitions, and every other false teaching may fill a man partially but never fully. Facebook. Instagram, Youtube, Television, and all of the other thousands of things we fill our hearts and minds with can never satisfy and only lead to more ungodliness and dissatisfaction. Like bulky objects in a vessel, there are pockets of air everywhere, but with the water of the Word, we can be filled to absolute full, not that we could ever contain all the knowledge, but we could be filled with his knowledge, holding as much as we possibly can. Lord, may we be "filled with the knowledge of your will!"
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