2016-09-23
Good Morning Dear Ones,
In obedience to the commands of the Holy Spirit, I have been writing an analysis of Paul’s prayer for the Colossians found in COL 1: 9-14 amplified by word studies from the original Greek for “knowledge” and “understanding.” In COL 1: 10, the word fruit is used, and it’s important that we understand Paul’s original meaning for it. “And we pray that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…” With the help of www.biblos.com, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, and Nelson’s Bible Dictionary, I will now share Paul’s originally-intended meaning from the Greek.
The Greek word (transliterated in English) for fruit is karpophorountes (pronounced “kar-pof-or-eh’-o”). It’s means “to bring forth deeds, metaphorically, to show spirituality through one’s conduct. This word is a verb derived from the word, karpos (pronounced “kar-pos”)-a masculine noun, which in its adjectival form is karpophoros (“kar-pof-or’-os” meaning fruitful. Its Strong’s number is 2592. [N.B. To use Strong’s, look up the word as used in a particular verse. Note the normally four-digit number across from the word. If it’s in the OT, look the number up in the Hebrew section in the back; if it’s from the NT, then look up the number in the Greek section in back]. Strong’s is based on the KJV, and the words are arranged alphabetically.
Another way to express the original meaning of the word, fruit, is good deeds (“which God already prepared for us to do” –EPH 2: 10). These can also be described as doing Kingdom work-deeds which contribute to building God’s Kingdom on earth. In saying this, I clearly have LK 17: 20-21 in mind. This definitely involves vertical growth in worship and spiritual maturity. Horizontally, it is a demonstration of God’s grace. I am reminded by COL 1: 11-12 of RO 5: 1-4, “Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have gain access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope.” Now look at COL 1: 11-12, “…Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may know great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of light.” We can also see the connection with 1 THESS 5: 16-18, “Be joyful always; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We should not miss the synergy between all these verses.
We are drawn to God’s mystery, which is Christ in us [COL 1: 26-27; COL 2: 2-3] by seeing its connection to COL 1: 13-14, “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in Whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.” Without the Father having done this for us, we wouldn’t have the ability to understand the things of the Spirit [1 COR 2: 14], nor would we be able to surrender our human agendas to that of Jesus Christ. Growing in our knowledge of God, our covenant relationship with Him and other believers, and our desire to please Him by doing His will are integral parts of living in Christ. The impact on our lives of our willingness to participate in sanctification and Christ’s Atonement is huge! In consideration of this, how can we not be motivated to offer our Lord forever thanks and praise?
PRAYER: O Lord, we acknowledge Your lovingkindness and how true to Your mission statement You are. Not only have You sent Your only Son to the cross, so that all of us who believe in Him can have everlasting life, but You have given us the way “through the narrow gate to the hard path which leads to eternal life” [MT 7: 13-14]. We pray PS 119: 33-35, “Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I will wholeheartedly obey. Make me walk along the right paths for I know who delightful they really are.” You have seen our affliction and hardships, and You offer Your outstretched hand to us in help. All we have to do is to ask for it. We rejoice in Your kindness in sharing Your teaching, Biblical truth that helps us with the choices we must make. We have sharing the glory of Jesus Christ to anticipate, if we faithfully obey You. Our lives are enriched as we learn the joy of serving others while we serve You. We are motivated to do Kingdom work with the talents You so generously have given us. We thank and praise You, Lord, because no one ever had a better, more loving God than You. We feel blessed and thank You for it. It is in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ that we will remember our covenant forever. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m led to continue this segment called “Fruit” of the “Knowing God” series of devotions. The interaction of the Divine One with believers in Jesus Christ is a dynamic that blesses and edifies us. We’ll look at how God and humans have interacted over mankind’s history in order to keep the covenant and bear fruit. God has two purposes for our lives: 1) The first is our immediate purpose, which is tied up with the talents He has given us and those “good deeds He has already prepared for us to do.” We often know what this purpose is through experience we have. When we are young, we often try things out to discover what things we do well and what things we don’t. Eventually, it becomes clear to us what career we should have or how we should spend our time. 2) The second is our cosmic purpose, which is tied to the legacy we leave behind after our physical death, the impact of our lives on future generations. We don’t normally know what this will be during our earthly lives. All of us can have joy in knowing that if we are faithfully obedient to God, both these purposes that He has for us will be fulfilled. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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