Colossians 1:9-13 (Part 2)
Go Deep
Colossians 1:9-13 (Part 2)
Have you had an experience with someone you cannot please, no matter how hard you try? How has that experience shaped you?
Do you agree with Oswald Chambers that “A man who is continually criticized becomes good for nothing, the effect of criticism knocks all the gumption and power out of him”?
What do you think pleases God more: What a person does or who a person becomes? What do you think pleases a parent more regarding their child?
Fruitbearing is the first of the four traits that please God. What exactly is it? What is the relationship between fruitbearing and “every good work”?
Are the good works of Colossians 1:9 the same as the “good works” of Ephesians 2:10? If they are, what are the implications for us?
Paul suggests God is pleased with people when they grow in their knowledge of him. What is the nature of this knowledge?
A third trait of Christ’s people that pleases God is strength. What kinds of things is a strong Christian able to do that a weak Christian cannot do?
One expression of strength is faith in God over an extended period of time in the midst of difficult circumstances. Can you think of a difficult time when you weren’t strong enough to trust God? A time when you were?
Another expression of strength is love over an extended period of time in the presence of difficult people. Can you think of a time when you weren’t strong enough to love difficult people? A time when you were?
What should a person do who is not strong enough to trust God or love people?
Shayne suggested that joy in difficult times or among difficult people is the epitome of strength. Do you agree? Where can a person get these kinds of strength?
How important is giving thanks? Why is this one of the things that particularly pleases God?
Which element of pleasing God – fruitbearing, knowledge of him, strength, or gratitude – would you like to work on? Why?