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Begin with What We Know

Knowing who God is and what He has really done for us is the foundation of any truth we preach to ourselves. How can we believe what He says about us or what He promises for days to come if we don’t first trust what He says about Himself? Paul began his letter to the Colossians with a clear reminder of what they already knew. Friend, you may feel like you already know these truths as well, but I encourage you to slow down and encounter them anew.

Read Colossians 1:1-14.

It’s clear from reading the letter’s introduction that the Colossians’ love for one another and for the Lord encouraged Paul.

THE GOAL—TO BE FILLED AND TO WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY

The word worthy comes from the root word that means a balancing of scales—as in with business transactions—that what is paid matches the work that’s being done.5

Another way to put it: that our lives would correspond appropriately to the measure of position and calling we’ve been given as followers of Christ.

We can never pay back or earn what salvation in Christ has purchased for us—that’s not what was being said here. Instead, Paul was saying that if you are filled with the truth of God’s wisdom and understanding, your living will match that fullness and bear fruit.

We don’t walk in a worthy manner to get saved; we walk in a worthy manner because we are saved.

Paul knew that in order to encourage the Colossians to stand firm and “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (v. 10, ESV), he must remind them to be fueled by what made them worthy in the first place.

Does our everyday living match our inheritance in Christ (v. 12)? Paul, in just the introduction and greetings of his letter, sought to unpack the truths of that inheritance and that redemption for their recollection.

Look at verses 9 and 10: “. . . be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding . . . increasing in the knowledge of God” (NKJV).

The word for filled here is plēroō, meaning more than just filled up: consumed, controlled, completely overtaken.6

Have you ever noticed how, when you are fully satisfied after a meal, even the most tempting dessert loses its appeal?

In the same way, we make little room for false belief, counterfeit faith, or unfruitful self-help strategies when we are filled up with the truth.