Grace Upon Grace September 11, 2015

Colossians 1:6-12      Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;

 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness;

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

1 Samuel 12:23     As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.

Romans 12:2     Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Ephesians 1:16     I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

Ephesians 5:17     Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

Philippians 1:9     And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

Have you ever stumbled onto an opportunity that far exceeded your original expectations? Or maybe you’ve encountered a source of treasure that no one else even knew existed? The theme of unanticipated riches appearing in unlikely places occurs in all kinds of literature. Jesus tapped into that theme with His story of the man who found a treasure hidden in a field. Apparently no one else knew of its existence, so he quickly covered it and ran in haste to secure the new property (Matthew 13:44).

Believers have inherited a vast treasure called the grace of God. For years, its great wealth may remain somewhat hidden from our view, but as we seek out its true dimensions, we are astonished to find how wealthy we are. This is what John was getting at when he exclaimed, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Another version puts it like this: “From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another” (NLT).

Paul describes these successive blessings in Colossians 1: We can be filled with the knowledge of God’s will “in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” and then we’ll be able to please the Lord in “all respects” and bear fruit in “every good work.” What’s more, we will be strengthened with “all power” and thereby be able to attain “all steadfastness and patience” (Colossians 1:9-11, emphasis added). Indeed, the Lord has an abundance of goodness and blessings for His children, and that is why we are richly endowed with “grace upon grace.”