The God-Centered Life – Colossians 1:9-14
It doesn’t matter if you are walking, running, biking, skiing (water skiing that is) if our center of gravity is off we will stumble and fall. In fact when things aren’t centered properly it shakes everything else up; this is not just true in biking and walking but it’s also true in life.
In Colossians 1:9-14 Paul encourages the Colossians to be centered spiritually.

First, Paul describes the God Centered life. In verse 9 he gives the only request in the prayer. He prays that they would “filled with knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. The word “fill” here is a word that means to complete and fill. Paul prays that as these Colossian Christians grow they will expand in their knowledge of God and His will and not be satisfied with a “skinny knowledge of His will.” We get filled by allowing the truth of God’s will found in the Word to live through us so that we will have spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Second, Paul prays that Colossians will demonstrate the God Centered life. Paul prays that the Colossians would walk in a manner “worth of The Lord fully pleasing to Him bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” The word “worthy” does not mean that we have to measure up (this means that we can get off our ‘performance treadmills’) It does mean that we are to walk in a way that is consistent or sutiably with who The Lord is. If we say we are Christ followers than our spiritual wardrobe (Colossians 3:12ff) should reflect Jesus (cf. Galatians 5:22-23 – as God infuses His grace we need to concur with His Holy Spirit and to the weeding).

Third, Paul reminds us that if you and I are to live the God centered life we must always begin and continue with the theme of redeeming love singing in our minds and hearts. The fact is I won’t fully understand the will of God and exhibit spiritual wisdom and demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit if I haven’t first experienced the redeeming love of Jesus. Paul proclaims “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom, we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14) So much of Paul’s writing is filled with this theme of redeeming love (Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:6, Romans 3:23-24) The redeeming blood of Jesus is what give life to sin sick souls like you and me. The redeeming blood of Jesus is the source, the motivation to the live the God-centered life!!