A Walk Worthy of Christ by Pastor Paul Jacks (Colossians 1:9-14)

Devotional

Day 1: Filled to Know His Will and Walk Worthy

You were saved for more than fire insurance; you were saved to know God’s heart and live in step with Him. Ask the Spirit to saturate your mind with what God wants, not just your own plans. This is a spiritual work, so carnal shortcuts won’t do; slow, steady time in the Word and prayer is how you receive His wisdom. As He fills you, your everyday choices begin to line up with Jesus, and your life starts to bear good fruit. This is the path to a walk that matches the worth of Christ. [21:51]

Colossians 1:9–10: We keep praying that God would completely fill you with insight into His will, giving you Spirit-shaped wisdom and understanding, so that your daily life fits the Lord’s desires and brings Him pleasure, showing itself in every kind of good fruit and in steady growth in truly knowing God.

Reflection: What is one simple, consistent practice you will adopt this week (for example, reading Colossians 1 each morning) to invite the Spirit to fill you with the knowledge of God’s will?

Day 2: Strengthened for Endurance, Bearing Good Fruit

Walking with Jesus is not a sprint; it’s a marathon that requires both endurance and patience. God doesn’t command you to be strong in your own strength—He supplies His power so you can keep going when the path is steep. Trials don’t prove God is absent; they become the gym where endurance is built and fruit ripens. As you rely on Him, your reactions begin to change—less snapping back, more Spirit-led gentleness and self-control. He equips you to please Him in every way, even under pressure. [24:33]

Colossians 1:11–12: May you be infused with strength from God’s own glorious power, so you have the stamina to endure and the patience to deal with people, and may gratitude rise up in you as you thank the Father who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of His holy people.

Reflection: Where are you currently feeling worn thin, and how could you invite God’s power into that exact moment so your response bears good fruit rather than frustration?

Day 3: Joyful Thanks from a Rescued People

Gratitude changes how you see your challenges because it anchors you in what God has already done. He qualified you—by grace, not performance—to receive an inheritance with His people. He rescued you from the rule of darkness and brought you into the kingdom of the Son He loves. In Jesus, you have been bought back and fully forgiven—past, present, and future. Let thankful worship become your steady rhythm, especially on the days that feel heavy. [33:55]

Colossians 1:13–14: God has lifted us out of the grip of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son; in Him we’ve been bought back at a price, and our sins have been released and forgiven.

Reflection: What specific gift from God’s rescue—redemption, forgiveness, new identity—will you thank Him for today, and how will that gratitude reshape one discouraging thought you’ve been battling?

Day 4: Abundant Life: Peace, Joy, Hope, Love

Jesus invites you into abundance that isn’t measured by cash, comfort, or the absence of problems. His abundance is a life filled with His peace, His joy, His hope, and His love right in the middle of real life. The enemy steals, distracts, and destroys, but Jesus restores, anchors, and overflows. You can live today with a settled confidence that He is with you and for you. Receive His abundance by trusting Him with what worries you most. [13:59]

John 10:10: The thief shows up to rob and ruin, but I came so that people could truly live—life overflowing with the good of God.

Reflection: Where have you been equating “abundance” with comfort or prosperity, and how could you welcome Jesus’ kind of abundance—peace, joy, hope, and love—into that exact area this week?

Day 5: Grow through Word, Fellowship, and Intentional Service

Growth doesn’t happen by accident; it happens as you commit to the Word, genuine fellowship, partnering with the wider body, and intentional ministry to the community. Show up to learn, to be known, and to serve—God hits a moving target. Doing one ministry well with others can do more than many scattered efforts done alone. As you lean in, you’ll find that you need others to thrive, and they need you too. Let this be the year you fully commit to Jesus by growing and serving with His people. [40:30]

Hebrews 10:24–25: Let’s think carefully about how to stir each other up toward love and good works, not giving up meeting together as some do, but encouraging one another—and doing it all the more as the day draws near.

Reflection: Which single next step will help you grow with others—joining Sunday school, attending Bible study, or serving in one focused ministry—and what day and time will you set aside to begin?

Sermon Summary

A clear call rings out: pursue a walk worthy of Christ by centering life on His supremacy and submitting to His will. Grounded in Colossians 1:9-14, the charge is both simple and demanding. Abundant life is promised in Christ, but it is measured in peace, joy, hope, and steadfast love rather than ease or material gain. Disillusionment often comes from the lie that faith guarantees a trouble-free life. Scripture offers a better hope: life with God’s presence and power in the very midst of trials.

The pattern for growth is unambiguous. First, be filled with the knowledge of God’s will by the Spirit. Carnal living cannot grasp spiritual realities; understanding comes as the Spirit renews the mind. Second, live a life that pleases the Lord through four practices: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God through experience, being strengthened with His power for endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks. God supplies the power He requires, enabling steady endurance and patient love for people. Trials do not contradict God’s care; they train endurance and deepen dependence.

This vision is corporate, not merely individual. The church is called to grow through the systematic study of God’s Word, Christ-centered worship, meaningful fellowship, partnerships in the wider body, and intentional ministry to the community. A strategic focus emerges: begin with one ministry and do it well, steward the facility wisely, and pray for discernment and engagement. Growth requires more than an hour on Sundays; it requires commitment to Word, community, and service—through Sunday School, Bible study, and shared labor in ministry. Faith in Christ is the beginning, not the end. Those united to Christ have been rescued from darkness, redeemed by His blood, forgiven of all sin, and qualified for an inheritance in the kingdom of light. Gratitude reframes hardship, anchors hope, and fuels obedience. The invitation is urgent and pastoral: commit this year to fully following Jesus—learning, serving, enduring, and giving thanks—as a people shaped by His supremacy.

Key Takeaways

1. Abundant life is not prosperity Abundance in Christ is peace, joy, hope, and resilient love, not a guarantee of comfort or financial increase. Expecting ease often produces disappointment; expecting God’s presence produces endurance. Scripture never promises a pain-free path, but it promises a faithful Shepherd. Receive abundance as the fruit of communion with Him, not the absence of trouble. [14:29]
2. Be filled to walk worthy A worthy walk flows from being filled with the knowledge of God’s will by the Spirit. Carnal habits blunt spiritual discernment, but surrender opens clarity and courage. The purpose of being filled is clear: to live in a way that pleases the Lord. Formation precedes faithfulness; what fills the heart shapes the walk. [21:51]
3. Four marks of a worthy walk Bear fruit in every good work, grow in knowing God, be strengthened with His power, and give joyful thanks. Fruit reveals roots; consistent goodness signals union with Christ. Growth is experiential—learned in Scripture and proved in life. Power from God produces endurance and patience, while gratitude keeps perspective fresh and faith tender. [22:42]
4. Power for endurance and patience God supplies the very power He requires, enabling long obedience in hard seasons and patience with imperfect people. Trials don’t negate God’s love; they train stamina and deepen trust. Many fall away when a false gospel of comfort collapses; true faith learns to persevere. Endurance is not a sprint of zeal but a marathon of grace. [27:32]
5. Growth requires Word, community, service One hour a week cannot sustain a life worthy of Christ. Scripture study, fellowship, and serving together are God’s ordinary means for extraordinary growth. Christianity is personal but never private; the body builds itself up in love as each part works. Commit to rhythms that form a durable, joyful discipleship. [40:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:20] - Vision handouts and greetings
[00:49] - 2026 vision: equip and grow
[02:38] - One focused ministry, done well
[03:23] - Facility stewardship and security
[05:27] - Pray over vision and involvement
[11:05] - Supremacy of Christ series begins
[13:07] - Abundant life, not prosperity
[17:27] - Prayer to be filled with God’s will
[21:51] - Walk worthy: fruit, knowledge, power, thanks
[24:33] - Strength for endurance and patience
[27:32] - Trials build endurance; beware false gospels
[32:18] - Gratitude and our inheritance
[35:23] - Rescued, redeemed, forgiven
[40:01] - Commit to Word, fellowship, and service

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Colossians 1:9-14

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: 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, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Observation questions

In Colossians 1:9-10, what is the stated purpose for being “filled with the knowledge of His will”?
From Colossians 1:10-12, what four marks describe a life that pleases the Lord?
According to Colossians 1:11, whose power strengthens believers, and what two outcomes should that power produce?
In Colossians 1:12-14, list what the Father has done for His people (use the verbs in the verses).

Interpretation questions

“We can’t live carnal lives and expect to understand spiritual things.” What does that suggest about how the Spirit fills a believer with the knowledge of God’s will in everyday choices? [20:39]
Endurance and patience are produced by God’s power, not by personality. Why might God use trials to build those qualities instead of removing the trials? [27:32]
Joyful thanksgiving is commanded “always.” How does regular gratitude reshape how one interprets hardship, fear, or uncertainty? [33:55]
The call to “walk worthy” is written to a church, not just to individuals. How should seeing this as “we” language change expectations for shared growth, patience, and service in a local body? [30:38]

Application questions

Abundant life is peace, joy, hope, and love—not a guarantee of comfort or money. Where have expectations of ease or financial gain crept into your faith, and how have they shaped your view of God? What will you surrender this week and what promise of His presence will you hold onto when trouble comes? [14:29]
What habit or influence most dulls spiritual discernment for you right now (media, hurry, hidden sin, bitterness, isolation)? What is one simple act of surrender you’ll practice this week to open space for the Spirit to fill your mind with God’s will? [20:39]
Looking at the four marks—bearing fruit, growing in knowing God, strengthened for endurance and patience, joyful thanks—which one is most lacking for you? What specific next step will you take in the next 7 days to grow in that area? [22:42]
Name one current trial and one person who requires extra patience from you. How will you depend on God’s power rather than your own as you respond this week (for example, prayer pauses, a verse you’ll carry, asking a friend to pray, choosing a gentle reply)? [24:33]
Growth requires Word, community, and service. What concrete rhythm will you commit to between now and Easter—Sunday School, Bible study, joining a ministry team, or a service rotation? Who will help you follow through? [40:01]
Our strategic focus is to start one ministry and do it well. Where could your gifts fit (welcome, setup, prayer, logistics, follow-up, teaching, mercy)? What small role could you take in the first 30 days? [02:38]
Begin a daily thanksgiving practice for the next 4 weeks. What time of day will you do it, and what will you thank God for that you used to complain about? Share your plan with the group and choose one person to check in with you. [32:45]

Sermon Clips

Man, this is a beautiful thing about god. God asked us to live a life worthy but he gives us the strength to be able to do it. It look what it says. It says, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might. According to whose might? God's might. And so if God has all power, then what does that mean? We have access to the same power he has. That power will help us to get through all the issues and all the challenges we face. God will give us the power to continue on when it doesn't seem like we can keep going. [00:24:16] (42 seconds) #GodGivesStrength

And so when we get challenged, it says, we go through these things so that we can have endurance. This is not a sprint. It is a marathon. So many Christians start out running fast. They're on fire for Christ. Only to dwindle out Months, weeks, sometimes years later, all because they get hit with challenges that they can't understand. And it's god wanting them to place their faith in him. [00:28:47] (41 seconds) #EnduranceIsAMarathon

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A Walk Worthy of Christ by Pastor Paul Jacks (Colossians 1:9-14)

Devotional

Day 1: Filled to Know His Will and Walk Worthy

Day 2: Strengthened for Endurance, Bearing Good Fruit

Day 3: Joyful Thanks from a Rescued People

Day 4: Abundant Life: Peace, Joy, Hope, Love

Day 5: Grow through Word, Fellowship, and Intentional Service

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

A Walk Worthy of Christ by Pastor Paul Jacks (Colossians 1:9-14)

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