🌊 Colossians 1:9 | Filled to the Brim

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Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Midweek is a good time to hit pause, breathe, and soak in the richness of Scripture. Colossians 1:9 is one of those verses that gets better the deeper you dig.

In today’s email…

• 🫙 What it really means to be “filled”

• 🧠 Why “knowledge” here isn’t about trivia

• 📚️ A few resources to go even deeper in study..

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

And so, ____ ___ ___ we ______, we have not ______ __ ____ for you,

asking that you may be _____ ___ ___ ________ of his will

in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Colossians 1:9

CONTEXT 📕 

It’s Wednesday, so you know what that means. Let’s slow down and look at the original Greek.

Colossians 1:9 is short, but it’s loaded.

Paul is praying for something very specific for this young church:

Let’s dig in.

1. Plēroō (pronounced play-ROH-oh) — “Filled”

This isn’t a dab or a drizzle. Plēroō means to fill to the brim, to make complete.

It’s used elsewhere to describe nets stuffed full of fish (John 21:11) and baskets overflowing after Jesus fed the crowds (Mark 6:43).

Paul isn’t asking that the Colossians would have “some” knowledge, like a sprinkle of seasoning. He’s praying they’d be saturated, so full of God’s will that there’s no room for anything else.

2. Epignōsis (pronounced ep-IG-no-sis) — “Knowledge”

Greek has a basic word for knowledge (gnōsis), but Paul chooses the stronger form: epignōsis.

This means precise, relational knowledge. Not trivia. Not head smarts.

It’s the kind of knowing that comes from deep experience, like how you know your best friend’s laugh in a crowded room.

Paul is praying that they wouldn’t just know about God’s will but that they would know it firsthand - intimately and experientially.

3. Thelēma (pronounced theh-LAY-mah) — “Will”

This refers to God’s desire, His purpose, His intention.

In Colossians, Paul isn’t praying they’ll discover some hidden code about the future (“Should I take this job? Move to this city?”).

He’s praying they’ll grow to understand what pleases God and the kind of life that reflects Jesus.

Later in the letter (4:12), Paul will circle back: Epaphras is “struggling in prayer… that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.”

Thelēma = what God wants for His people. And Paul is praying they’d be filled to the brim with it.

TOGETHER WITH AXIS

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My favorite resource (by far) is their weekly newsletter called The Culture Translator.

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APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

Someone I know uses prayer cards as a daily spiritual discipline. Over time, they realized the cards didn’t just help them remember to pray, they helped prayer shape their life.

They wrote one person’s name and Colossians 1:9 on each card:

• Card Example: “Fill [Name] with the knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

Every morning, they’d pick one card, read it aloud, and then pause. They took a moment to listen quietly, inviting God to fill that person with His will.

Sometimes they wrote a one-sentence prayer reply (“God, show me one practical way to reflect You at work today.”). Other times, they journaled how God honored that prayer.

This habit built a narrative of prayer arounds God’s work, not just a list of requests.

Over months, the cards became stories of God’s presence in their life.

We invite you to try something similar:

• Create one “Colossians 1:9 prayer card” (index card or phone note). Write: “Fill ____ with Your knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

• Pray with purpose. Choose a name. It could be yours, someone you love, or your small group and pray those words slowly, as if each word carries weight. Then ask: “God, what’s one practical way you want me (or them) to reflect Your will today?”

• Capture God’s answer. Later, jot down what you sensed, saw, or how God moved toward that person, no matter how small. Maybe it’s peace, clarity in a decision, or the right words at home or work.

• Track growth. By the end of the week, glance back. What patterns are emerging? Where do you see God responding and moving?

RESOURCES 📚️ 

Here are a few resources to help you dig deeper into the verse and its themes:

• 📚️ The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence (link)

• 📚 Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Dr. Timothy Keller (link)

• 📚️ Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer by Tyler Staton (link)

• 📚 Fount of Heaven: Prayers of the Early Church by Robert Elmer (link)

• 📚️ Colossians and Philemon (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (link)

• 📹️ Colossians overview video by BibleProject (link)

• 🎵 AMEN by Forrest Frank (Spotify | Apple Music | Full Malachi Daily Playlist)

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ANSWER KEY ✅ 

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you,

asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will

in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Colossians 1:9