Thoughts on Understanding the Will of God for our lives as Leaders: (Part 1)

I really enjoy sharing “how” I read and dissect scripture, so here’s another passage that hit me last night…

In Colossians 1:9-14, Paul unpacks his thoughts on the whole “Knowing God’s Will” thing… Hidden in these 5 verses are some huge insights… Here are my most current thoughts as I take a read at it…

In verse 9 he lays out his desire for the church in Colossae to understand the Will of God in their lives. V. 9 “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will…” Then starting in verse 10, he says what living and leading from that perspective can do for us:

1.  We can live a life worthy of the Lord. V. 10. Are you kiddin’ me? I can’t wait to look up that phrase, “worthy of the Lord,” in the original Greek. Remember, it’s all about Word Pictures in their culture. What image does that drum up in Paul’s mind as he writes it? What’s he really trying to say?
2. We can Please Him in everyway. V. 10. Think about it guys, it’s actually possible to please the Lord in every way in our lives! Not in our own strength, but through the grace we find in Jesus! Last week, I heard a story about a dad who’s son gave him a wallet for his birthday. Unfortuantely, the dad doesn’t use a wallet. But he said, “Do you think I berated my kid b/c he wasted his money buying me a wallet? No, I was so pleased with him for showing his love to me in that way!” What if that is how God views our life, when we live “by faith” trying to please him in every way???
3. We can bear fruit in every good work. V. 10. I find it interesting that Paul separates this one and the one before it. In other words, in his mind “pleasing God in every way,” is completely different than “bearing fruit in our lives.” Man, that smacks me in the face that life is not just meant to be lived for my stuff, my job, my things, my toys, my benefits. Bearing fruit has to do with our lives impacting others. Period.
4. We can grow in the Knowledge of God. V. 10. Check this one out… Understanding the “knowledge of His Will,” is different than “Understanding the Knowledge of God.” Wow. What are the implications of that in our lives? How often do we seek one or the other??? How do the two overlap in our lives? Where does the Knowledge of God meet the Knowledge of His Will for our lives.

I think I am getting closer to discovering the true “calling” and “passion” of my life. As best as I can see it from where I stand on the field, my most current thoughts lead me to see 4 things primarily:

• “A Teacher who is Excellent in Marketing.” I love that description of what I do in the realm of public speaking.

• “A Writer.” I think it’s still too premature to actually have a catchy phrase for the way I write. (My wife calls me “run on” because of all the run-on sentences I have in my wriritng.)

• “A Coach / Mentor.” I really have a heart to mentor and coach young leaders and specifically church planters. We have learned, and are learning, so much and I love every opportunity I have to share what we’re learning with others.

• “An Entrepreneur.” Yeah, I got this thing in me to see stuff that isn’t there yet, as if it were. I guess it’s the vision gift in me.

Anyway, enough about me. As I conclude this session of “My Bloggish Thoughts,” I would challenge you with what your most current thoughts are on the “Knowledge of God’s Will” for your life. When was the last time you checked in on it?