Colossians 1:10

to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

'TO WALK' -i.e. to live, conduct oneself.

'WORTHILY OF THE LORD' -(Ephesians 4:1; 1 Peter 1:27; 1 Thessalonians 2:12).

'UNTO ALL PLEASING' -'to His full satisfaction' (Wms); 'and so please God in every way' (TCNT).

Points to Note:

1. 'This lofty wisdom and insight is not an end in itself. It must issue in right practice. Doctrine and ethics are for Paul inseparable. Right conduct must be founded on right thinking.' (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 499)

Bible knowledge, classes and personal study that fail to change the life are all in vain for that particular individual. God doesn't care how many Scriptures you may have memorized, if such knowledge isn't put into practice.

2. The religion of Jesus Christ and the Bible doesn't exist for mere human intellectual gratification.

3. Carefully note that God hasn't left men in the dark concerning what pleases Him. We don't have to guess or speculate. God has already told us! (Micah 6:8; Mark 16:16)

4. An imperfect human being can please God! Such isn't an impossible task. 'Walking worthily' doesn't mean that we live like we "deserve" salvation. It means that we take God and His word very seriously. That we understand that Jesus died for us and that God has given us His word so that imperfect human beings can realize that the purpose of our existence is to bring honor to God. To manifest attitudes and behavior that positively reflects upon Him as our Creator (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 2:15).

5. You might say that "walking worthily" means living. life that says two basic things: (a) God's decision to create mankind was. good idea. (b) Jesus' death upon the cross to redeem sinful men was. sacrifice well spent.

6. The only real motive that will last for the Christian. Is when. Christian makes up their mind that "pleasing God" is the most important thing in life (2 Corinthians 5:9; Galatians 2:20)

7. And why shouldn't we want to please God? Considering all that God has positively done for us, what would ever cause us to run away from or hold something against Him? We must be honest, God has treated all of us much better the we deserve (Psalms 103:10). And God has done something for us, which none of us would have done for God (Romans 5:6), much less, each other. The honest truth is, those of us who are unwilling to place God in first place, must be people who are still pre-occupied with themselves, selfish and spiritually immature (Matthew 6:33; Matthew 16:24). Nothing is wrong with God, His will "the Church", or what He has done. Something is wrong with us.

8. Also note that the Bible doesn't teach truths which are impractical or truths that are divorced from real life. You won't find. more down-to-earth religion that the religion of Jesus Christ. Preaching that goes over everyone's head, preaching that ceases to be practical, preaching that dwells on concepts divorced from real life, is preaching that is devoid of the gospel.

'BEARING FRUIT IN EVERY GOOD WORK' -Which infers that "good works" are by no means just something God has given Christians so that they keep busy and avoid boredom.

Points to Note:

1. God is very vocal about His people being "fruitful", i.e. productive in their service (John 15:1; Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14; Titus 3:14)

2. God expects "success" in the various good works which we tackle. Which infers: (a) God hasn't given us. hopeless cause. (b) God has given us everything we need to succeed (2 Timothy 3:16). (c) We are capable. (d) God wants Christians to enjoy their "responsibilities".

3. God demands more than just "rote" in good works, i.e. giving. good work mere token effort. Too often Christians approach various good works with the attitude, 'I don't suppose you want to learn anything about the Bible, do you?' 'I don't suppose you need any encouragement or help'. 'I don't suppose you want to change your life'. 'It sure looks like to me that this is. hopeless case or situation.'

4. Note the expression, 'every good work'. Whether it be teaching others, benevolence, training children, encouraging the weak, correcting the unfaithful, etc..."fruit" of some sort can be borne in all those endeavors.

'AND INCREASING IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD' -Again the emphasis upon. full or true knowledge of God's revealed will. 'all the time learning to know God better and better' (Tay). This verse may infer that. full and true knowledge of God's will is ONLY POSSIBLE for those Christians who are willing to apply to life and put into action God's truth, i.e. if you don't use it, you will lose it. If you don't apply it to your own life, you will lose sight of that particular truth. And that applying the will of God, using it, being involved in good works, IS THE BEST WAY TO LEARN WHY GOD STANDS FOR THAT PARTICULAR TRUTH. (James 1:22)