Bearing fruit in every good 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, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. Can you see the four ways Paul wants these Christians to walk worthy of the Lord, and to fully please him?

It’s a common Christian sentiment. Namely, if life is going well, then we’re receiving God’s blessing. His favour rests on us. And the opposite: if things are going badly, then something is wrong – potentially even between us and God.

At best, these sentiments are half true. It’s true for instance that any good we have comes from our good Father (James 1:17). And when good times come, we thank the Lord of good gifts!

But what if the absence of difficulties is not the sure sign of God’s present favour?

It wasn’t for our heavenly Father’s very Son. Can you remember all he suffered? But was not the Father’s favour and blessing on the Son? Of course it was! Matthew 3:17: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”  And so, the beloved Son of the Father would suffer. And he would suffer for our sakes, securing our freedom from sin and satan and death. And all part of the Father’s good will.

Or the Apostles Paul and Peter in their following of Jesus. Think of our Lord’s words to Paul in his unique apostolic role, as Acts 9:16 says: I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. And yet for someone like the Paul, he suffers as a dearly loved son in the Son, and for the Son.

And then for us, the saints in Christ, consider how often the Scriptures encourage God’s people to persevere (Hebrews 12:1-2; 10:36; James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5; Galatians 6:9; 2 Timothy 2:12). Implying that many difficulties and hardships will come our way.

Or reflect for instance on the prayer in Colossians 1:9-14. Here Paul asks that the saints are filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding SO THAT they may walk worth of the Lord, fully pleasing him. What will that look like?

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