Part 1
The third aspect to living a life from the knowledge of God’s will that pleases him in every way, that Paul talks about in Colossians 1 is, “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience”.
There are two ways of “being strengthened with all power” that we are going to look at. Today we will look at the first way.
The first way of being strengthened with all power comes from the “All Day I Keep It Cultivated” lifestyle.
Psalm 1 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”
The environment you keep on a habitual basis is what you feed off of and are nourished by. What you are nourished by is what you become conformed to. The one who meditates on the law day and night is like a strong tree that is immovable and is strategically planted by streams of water that constantly feed it. Because of this, the tree bears fruit in season, the leaves do not wither and whatever it does prospers or grows to full maturity. This is all due to the environment we keep.
Colossians 2:6-7
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
What you habitually think about is what you become. What you continue to focus on is where you end up. Paul says, “just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.” This is the continual cultivation of the truth. What God said about who he is and who we are and what this life is to look like. Continually beholding these truths and applying them to our lives is what causes us to be transformed and conformed to the image of God. This is what it means to abide in him. It’s this process that would cause us to grow in strength, endurance and patience.
1 Timothy 4:6-8
“If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
Training is something you do if you want to become skillful. You show up intentionally to learn and practice correct techniques. With daily focus and repetition you grow in strength, ability, skill, and understanding. We train ourselves to be godly by focusing on being like Jesus. How he thinks, how he feels, what he does, what his days look like. How does he prepare? How does he handle different situations? You can not become like somebody you know nothing about. To become conformed and transformed in the image of Jesus, is to continually grow in and encounter his glory and goodness.
The first way of “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience”, is to create an environment that continually feeds you with the truth. That truth causes you to grow, to become stronger, to be transformed and conformed to the truth.