“…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him,
bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
(Colossians 1:10)
One of the primary needs of a newborn is that of nourishment. A baby must receive nourishment every several hours on an ongoing, regular schedule if they are to grow, develop, and mature properly.
The same is true for a newborn Christian. In John 3:1-8, Jesus compares the moment of spiritual conversion (when one is “born again”) to that of a natural birth. And, just like a newborn, a new believer in Christ needs continual nourishment to grow to maturity. Listen to what Peter says about that: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,” (1 Peter 2:2).
What is the source of this “pure spiritual milk?” It is the Word of God, and more specifically… the knowledge of God that is found in His Word. God’s Word is the written revelation of Himself to us (2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Tim. 2:15, 3:15-17). Simply put, the essential food for proper growth, development, and maturity of a Christian is the knowledge of God found in His Word and work of Christ.
And how do we consume this “knowledge of God?” By the regular, continual feeding (reading, studying, meditating, praying, and contemplating) on the Holy Scriptures where the knowledge of God is found. Consider how many verses use terms like taste, hunger, thirst, and bread of life when referencing the Lord – 1 Peter 2:3, Psalm 34:8, 63:1, 81:10, Isaiah 55:1, Matthew 5:6, John 4:13-14, 6:35, 7:37.
How do you know if a believer is increasing in the knowledge of God and therefore properly growing and maturing? You can tell by watching them, observing their behavior, their movements and mannerisms – just like you would with a new baby. Observable, developmental markers let you know whether a Christian is growing properly toward maturity. As Paul indicates in Colossians 1:10, some of those markers include living a life worthy of the name Christian, living in a way that pleases the Father, and bearing spiritual fruit that brings glory to Him and shows who you belong to.
Just as a natural birth presupposes certain evidences of being alive, a spiritual birth presupposes evidences of spiritual life. Peter van Mastricht rightly said, “The Scriptures demand that the Christian receive the Word of God as the rule and pattern for his life. The Word of God must transform the person and inform the life. Theory must be united to practice. If faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26), then the Christian’s grasp of truth is no stronger than its practice in love. Practice must flow from theory. The richness of Christian experience is no deeper than one’s knowledge of God and His will (Col. 1:9-10).”
God is our life source. We rely on Him for everything. This is the reason we need a daily portion of the knowledge of God nourishing our mind, heart, and soul. Let us seek to be continually increasing in our knowledge of God in order that we might fully please Him and adore Him in everything.
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer,” (Psalm 19:14)
- Help me, Lord, make it my main objective to please You rather than to gratify my flesh and promote my own interests. My highest aim should be to walk worthy of You “to all pleasing.” Help me elevate and prioritize Christ above everything that I may learn to live in Your love, for Your favor is the light of my life, and Your love is my greatest happiness.
- Lord, help me be diligent in continually increasing my knowledge of You. I want Your Spirit to enlighten my understanding of You from Your Word. I don’t want to grieve You! So help me live to please You in all things, so that I may know all You have for me in Christ.
- Help me be fruitful in every good work. Let the fruit of my life demonstrate the Gospel of Christ and not merely gifts, abilities, knowledge, or a supposed righteousness that gets the attention of men. I’m not interested in an external religion but fruits that will last for eternity, fruits that please You and glorify Your name.
Further references for Col. 1:10
Eph. 4:1; 2 Cor. 5:9, 9:8; Eph. 2:10; Phil. 1:11
