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Col 1:11 Paul's prayer for believers to be empowered by God to have patient endurance with the Happiness of God


We are continuing in our study of prayer as part of the PPOG or Predestination Eph 1:3-5; Rom 8:29; for the purpose of determining just how and what we should pray for. At the moment we are examining Paul's prayers and we have seen in that the major focus in his prayers has been for them to appropriate by Grace the spiritual resources that God has provided and advance in God's plan for their lives.
In this segment, we are examining Paul and Timothy's prayer in Col 1:9-12; where Paul is praying for the believer's spiritual growth.
9- Because of this, since the day we heard Epaphras' report we have not stopped praying for you asking that you would be completely filled up with the knowledge of God the Father's intent in the sphere of wisdom and spiritual understanding.

10- to the end that you would conduct yourselves with conduct becoming the Lord to please Him completely while being prolific by divinely good activities and growing in
the knowledge of God,

11- because of the omnipotence empowering you in accordance with the power of God's glory for maximum perseverance and patience, accompanied by joy

12- Constantly being thankful to the Father, who has qualified us for a share of the assigned inheritance of the saints by means of the light.

This Divine enablement that Paul is praying for believer's to receive provides the power or capacity or enablement for "steadfastness" or endurance and "patience" with "joy" or the happiness of God in any and all situations.
We are presently looking at some principles regarding patience from God's word:
patience = "makrothumia" = long-suffering, forbearance. "Makro" = long; "thumos" = temper or disposition.
Patience from grace orientation enables believers to have great understanding and sensitivity toward others. Prov 14:29;a
Patience enables believers to resolve and reconcile differences. Prov 15:18;b
God's word describes the one with patience as being better than being a mighty warrior or conquering a City. Prov 16:32; NET note110 and 113;
Patience enables believers to be discrete and overlook the sins of others. Prov 19:11;b
Patience enables believers to rest in the Lord and let the Supreme Court Judge of the Supreme Court of Heaven handle any unfair or unjust treatment, Psa 37:7;
Patience enables the believer to handle undeserved suffering and maltreatment with out reacting resulting in their receiving greater grace from the Lord. 1Pet 2:18-20; 1Pet 5:5-6;
The momentum developed from the believer’s application of Bible Doctrine (Faith) through the Faith Rest Drill produces endurance which enables patience. James 1:3-4;
The pastor-teacher is mandated to have patience in teaching. 2Tim 4:2; because it is God who enables the changes in believers and the pastor must patiently wait on God as he works in the believers life. 2Tim 2:7;
The Lord has made many promises to all believers, and patience is needed for believers to wait in the timing of God for the fulfillment of his promises. Heb 6:10-20; 2Pet 3:9;
Patience and endurance is also needed when after the believer has done all that they are supposed to do and empirically things in their life has still not changed. Heb 10:32-39;
Patience enables believers to tolerate each other as they continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Eph 4:1-3;
Col 1:11- because of the omnipotence empowering you in accordance with the power of God's glory for maximum perseverance and patience, accompanied by joy...

This empowerment of God that Paul is praying for believer's to have enables them to have patient perseverance with the happiness of God.

The word translated "joy" is the Greek word "Chara" which brings to a brief recap of of the doctrine of happiness which we studied in the context of Paul's prayer to the Philippians. Phil 1:9-11;

At that time we saw regarding the believer being filled with the "fruit of righteousness" and our parallel study of Gal 5:22-23 that joy is a product of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life.

Since it is a product of God the Holy Spirit, it is empowered by the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit.

This is inner happiness and contentment in the soul that comes from Faith becoming Hope which enables the believer to have integrity Love which is based in that hope or confident expectation of good things from God which causes the believer to have this happiness. 1Cor 13:13;

Joy is the sharing and experiencing of the happiness of God because of the believer's orientation to the complete reality of Bible Doctrine which never fails rather than partial realities of empiricism or rationalism which do fail.

God's happiness in the believer is exhibited as a relaxed mental attitude and contentment regarding one's circumstances regardless of how difficult they may be because of the believer's confidence in God and his plan and purpose for their lives. Phil 4:11-13;

This is a happiness based on capacity that has been built in the soul by God the Holy Spirit through the believer's persistent PMA of Bible Doctrine which has resulted in the renovation of their thinking.

The arrogant myth promoted by Satan and the kosmic system is that people and pleasant circumstances in life provide happiness. Satan's propaganda is that money, success, pleasure, social life, sexual life, public approbation, fame, material things, travel, health, and pleasant circumstances in life can make one happy.

These things are pleasurable for a short time, Heb 11:24-27; but they do not sustain anyone in times of suffering and certainly do not hold up as one passes through shadowed valley of physical death. Psa 23:4;

The rich man described the parable in (Luke 12:16-21) discovered that his money and prosperity which were the source of his happiness on the earth in time were very temporary.

True happiness comes from spiritual wealth which is eternal and permanent, not material wealth which is temporal and transient; it comes from Bible Doctrine in the soul. Jer 15:16; Psa 119:103; and it's application John 13:17; James 1:25;

Through his word, God has provided a means for believers to share in His permanent happiness.

Anything that is truly worthwhile is worthwhile in adversity as well as in prosperity, in times of chaos and disaster as well as times of peace and tranquility. Matt 24:35;

Those who are dependent on any person or set of circumstances for happiness, are weak and do not have their happiness based on God the Holy Spirit and the Mind of TLJC.

Believers in TLJC, who have been faithful in the PMA of Bible doctrine and have advanced into spiritual adulthood are not only strong, but have great inner happiness because of their confidence in God which is established by means of Bible Doctrine (Faith). God's happiness is not dependent on environment, associations, or circumstances of prosperity or adversity. It is dependent on the immutability of his word and the omnipotence of his power.

As the ruler of this world, Satan rules and controls his domain through arrogance. Satan's administration of pseudo-happiness to any believer or unbeliever can only exist when that person is involved in the Kosmic system, (primarily Kosmic one) where arrogance destroys any capacity for true happiness.

The presence of arrogance in the soul is a guarantee of unhappiness because arrogance causes one to think more highly of oneself than one should and is therefore functioning from a position of weakness where their unrealistic expectations cannot be achieved. Prov 18:12;

Arrogance includes jealousy, (jealousy and happiness are mutually exclusive), It also includes self-pity, a guilt complex, bitterness, implacability, vindictiveness, hatred, and revenge (motivation and function), all of which exclude true happiness.

 

© Copyright 2007, Michael Lemmon Bible Ministries. World Rights Reserved.  This document was created on 3/5/2008