6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:6-7
9 We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. Colossians 1:9-12
These verses suggest that there should be movement in our Christian lives. They call us to authenticate our faith, not so much as an evangelist or an apologist, but as a disciple.
Setting aside the walking metaphor for a moment, I’ve been around long enough to witness many who “received Christ,” but never took root, and continued to march to their own drum beat.
On the other hand, I’ve seen those who never looked back, quickly becoming established in their faith, hungry for the truth, and marked by service for others and overflowing gratitude.
As an observer, you wonder if the former got caught up in the hoopla. They appear to be in the first few categories of the Lord’s parable of the seeds and the soils.
5 “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 “Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 “Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. 8 “Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 8:5–8
We have a magnolia tree in our backyard. It was once a seedling that finally exposed itself among other plants in the garden. In time it grew to eye level, and now it’s a massive tree with seasonal blossoms. Thinking back, it really began to grow when it broke through to the light.
So should every Christian’s spiritual growth be. Upward. Stable. Steady. Fruitful. Joyful.
I recently heard of a couple, friends of ours, who were in church every time the doors opened, who led ministries, yet now rarely darken its doors. Their lives are now marked by spiritual apathy. I wonder, how can this be? I don’t want to apply the Lord’s parable here, but the parallels are eerily similar, and I can only hope for the best. Now I can see why Paul was so preoccupied with concern for the churches.
Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? 2 Corinthians 11:28–29
Leave a Reply