"We pray this in order that you may live worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father..." Colossians. 1:10, 11

The way to live worthy of our Lord and to please him in every way is set forth in this scripture quite plainly. We are to bear fruit in every work, grow in knowledge of Him and joyfully give thanks to the Father. The first step is to bear fruit. Have you ever stopped to think about bearing fruit in every work? It is a sobering thought. It means we are able to bear fruit at all times. God desires us to be in a constant state of fruit-bearing, bearing fruit even in the mundane aspects of our lives. If we are constantly connected to the vine (Jesus) we are able to do this, yes, even in those mundane parts of life. The next step is to grow in knowledge of Him. The only way we can do this is to find ourselves in His Word as much as possible. He has revealed Himself to us through the Bible and especially through His Son, Jesus Christ. To know Jesus is to know God. Another important part of getting to know God is to communicate with Him often...the more the better. The more time spent in His presence the better we will know Him. All these things are not easily accomplished in this world of ours. We live in a very fast-paced society, but Paul has given us the key to accomplishing these things: we are strengthened with ALL power according to His glorious might that we might have great endurance and patience! When we say "Yes" to God, he provides us the strength and power to accomplish what He wills us to do. The last step is the natural outgrowth of accomplishing the first two steps. When we truly know God and see what He can accomplish in us, the natural outgrowth is to praise Him. Only then can we joyfully give Him thanks for all He has done and for all He is!

Father, help us to slow down and make the time to spend with You. Help us to know You better and make us like You. Thank You for all that You do for me, for Your patience and Your unending love that never gives up on me. Help me to bear fruit so that I might bring glory and honor to Your name. Amen