A Basic Prescription

This morning I am reading from Colossians 1:9-14 NIV:
[9] "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, [10] 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, [11] being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, [12] 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. [13] For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

I love Paul's writings for He distills the message at times into basic truths, which he encloses in long sentences that you could think about for days, if not weeks. As an example, from the second half of verse 9 through the end of verse 12, Paul writes one sentence that could be the foundation for a life following Christ. His key points being:

1) Being filled with the knowledge of God's will through wisdom and understanding
2) After understanding God's will, living out our life in obedience to that will, because we love Him and want to please Him (God)
3) Which leads to a life that bears fruit in good works
4) Which leads to growing in our knowledge of the Lord - (back to point 1)
5) And being strengthened through His might that we might have great endurance and patience
6) And in all things, giving thanks to the Lord, for we have been welcomed into His Kingdom of Light and Life

Yep, a basic prescription for following the Lord everyday in our life. If I could walk these basic points out, I would be a long ways down the road in my desire to be like Jesus. Sometimes its nice to be reminded of the simplicity of our call to be His disciples. Lord, help me to remember the simple things, the basics of my life with You.