Knowledge

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will to all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9-12

In this passage, Paul was exposing a heresy in the Colossian church that was similar to Gnosticism. Gnostics valued the accumulation of knowledge, but Paul pointed out that knowledge in and of itself is empty. To be worth anything, it must lead to a changed life and right living. Paul's prayer for the Colossians has two dimensions: 1) That they might be filled with the knowledge of God's will to all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and 2) They would bear fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. Knowledge is not merely to be accumulated; we need to use that knowledge in order to make good decisions in our life. Paul, wanted the Colossians to be wise, but he also wanted the them to use their knowledge. Knowledge of God is not a secret that only a few can discover; it is open and available to everyone. God wants us to learn more about Him, and also to put our belief into practice by helping others. God bless you, J.H