Colossians 1:11-12
11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.
The summer heading into my sophomore year of high school, I decided to train with the cross country team. Every day of the week, we woke up early and ran 8-10 miles. Every day. After a few weeks of this, I was in the best shape I had ever been in when it came to endurance. Now, I say “train” because I had no intention of being on the team once the season started at the beginning of school. Why? Because I was playing a far better sport: hockey.
I was playing travel hockey that year and we were starting strength and conditioning training in the fall and I knew that I needed to have as much endurance as possible. That year, I played a ton of hockey and during the games, I played a ton of minutes because my body could handle it. I developed a level of endurance that allowed me to stay on the ice when others had to come off.
As Paul continues explaining his prayer to the church in Colossae, he continues expounding on what it means to walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him. When we bear fruit in what we do and when we grow in the knowledge of God, we are doing strength training. We are learning to use the strength that is there, the strength that is from the Spirit of God.
All of us need some strength training when it comes to our faith. Why? So we can keep walking the worthy walk we’ve been called to. So we can continue walking in a way that pleases Jesus.
Grow in your knowledge of God. Keep digging into His word and conversing with Him through prayer. But don’t stop there. Serve Him, serve people, serve your church.
He’s our personal trainer and He’s saying we need to work the strength training, endurance building, patience producing plan that He has set out for us.
So what might it look like to work out today in the Lord’s strength? Isn’t it a beautiful thing that God has done? More on that tomorrow.
Onward, saints.
Want to receive these devotions in your inbox daily? Click here to sign up.
