Larry Reynolds, Denton, TX

Colossians 1:10-13 - "...so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened will all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light."

In the verses that follow Paul uses four participles, each followed by a prepositional phrase, to describe a life that is worthy of the Lord and pleasing to God. Such a life is a life of:

• "bearing fruit in every good work"(10b)
• "increasing in the knowledge of God" (10c)
• "being strengthened with all power" (11)
• "giving thanks to the Father" (12)

A life that is pleasing to God is a life of “being strengthened with all power."  Like the other verb forms in this list of things characterizing a life pleasing to God, the verb “strengthened” is in the present tense denoting continuing activity. But unlike the other verb forms in this list, “strengthened” is not in the active voice. It is passive, meaning that it is not something we do; it is something that is being done to us. We don’t make ourselves strong; God gives us strength.

• Moses said in Exodus 15:2, “The Lord is my strength and song...”
• David said in Psalm 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and my shield...” and in Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength...”
• Isaiah said in Isaiah 40:29, “[God] gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power...”

• ”steadfastness” (hupomone) is translated patience in some Bibles. However, “steadfastness” or “endurance” is a much better translation. Basically the word means the ability to hang in there in difficult times.
• ”patience” (makrothumia) is one of the great words of the Bible. It is sometimes translated “long-suffering” and that is an excellent rendering of the word. This is a compound word with the first part (makro) meaning “long” and the second part meaning (thumia) meaning “passion” or “temper.” The word means to have  a long fuse as opposed to a short fuse. It means to suffer long with people. It is the kind of spirit which refuses to retaliate, to strike back, or to take revenge on those who do us wrong.

(For more detailed notes on Colossians go to http://www.larryreynolds.org-a.googlepages.com/home)