HOW TO DEVELOP NEW VITALITY IN LIVING

2/3/85

HOW TO DEVELOP NEW VITALITY IN LIVING
COLOSSIANS 1: 9 - 11

JESUS CHRIST prayed for you. John recorded His prayer in the
14th chapter of his gospel. If He prayed for us we should pray
for one another. What should we pray for one another? Paul
prayed what might be considered a model prayer for one another.
This prayer embodies two great requests which we should
frequently made of the Lord.
(1)For an understanding of God's will.
(2)For the power to do it.
Prayer is not so much trying to make God listen to us as it is
us trying to listen to Him. An older minister described it to
me as like a ship docking. The mooring rope is thrown over the
docking post on the wharf not to draw the wharf to the ship but
to draw the ship to the dock. Prayer is not to convert God to
our will but to draw us to His will. After all Christ taught us
to pray: "Thy will be done..." not "Thy will be changed..."
Paul prayed for...
I.PRINCIPLES TO BE REVEALED (Vss. 9, 10)
A. Knowledge of God's Will. His will is revealed in His Word.
Knowledge is God's will for our general moral conduct. right
knowledge is the root of right knowledge. Spiritual perception
of spiritual values and priorities is basic to a Christ pleasing
life.
Proverbs 1:7 "...fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge."
B. Wisdom. Acquaintance with first principles. Wisdom is
aknowledge of the best way of attaining God's will.
(Socrates and youth who professed to want knowledge: Socrates
held his head under water until he was nearly drowned. Then he
said, "When you want wisdom as bad as you do air then you shall
...

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