Text: Colossians 2:6-7
Steps of faith, repentance, and humility--these are the basic movements of the Christian life.
Maybe you keep track of how many steps you take each day on your Fitbit or similar device. Caring about your physical health is important. But caring about your spiritual health has eternal consequences.
For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8
So are you cognizant of your spiritual steps? And what are those steps--the basic movements of your spiritual life?
Paul tells us in Colossians 2:6 "As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him..."
Steps of faith, repentance, and humility--these are the basic movements of the Christian life.
Maybe you keep track of how many steps you take each day on your Fitbit or similar device. Caring about your physical health is important. But caring about your spiritual health has eternal consequences.
For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8
So are you cognizant of your spiritual steps? And what are those steps--the basic movements of your spiritual life?
Paul tells us in Colossians 2:6 "As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him..."
Walking in Scripture is a metaphor for how we live each day. Look at these other passages that speak of our "walk":
- Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 1 John 2:6
- If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25
- ...so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 1Thessalonians 2:12
- Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called...Ephesians 4:1
- ...for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Ephesians 5:8
- But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another... 1 John 1:7
Walking may seem rather simple but it makes an instructive point. Life lived in communion with God is not meant to be rare or extraordinary. It's not the reward of some secret knowledge. Scripture doesn't say, "Grasp the secret of the Spirit" it says, "keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). Walking. Keep in step.
This turns out to be one of the most challenging aspects of the Christian life--the simple repetitiveness of it. Left, right, left, right. Again and again, over and over. All the way. Every day. These aren't instragramable moments. They are the thousands of little decisions in mundane moments of daily life that almost go unnoticed but are actually what shape and direct our lives.
We may wonder if there are any shortcuts. Rankin Wilbourne says, "There are some, but once you find out what they are--humiliation and suffering--you'll probably prefer to walk."
So I want to remind you to revisit the basics--and do this often. Think about the role of faith, repentance, and humility and how these were necessary when you received Jesus. And start taking these steps every single day!
It's all about Jesus,
John
This turns out to be one of the most challenging aspects of the Christian life--the simple repetitiveness of it. Left, right, left, right. Again and again, over and over. All the way. Every day. These aren't instragramable moments. They are the thousands of little decisions in mundane moments of daily life that almost go unnoticed but are actually what shape and direct our lives.
We may wonder if there are any shortcuts. Rankin Wilbourne says, "There are some, but once you find out what they are--humiliation and suffering--you'll probably prefer to walk."
So I want to remind you to revisit the basics--and do this often. Think about the role of faith, repentance, and humility and how these were necessary when you received Jesus. And start taking these steps every single day!
It's all about Jesus,
John
