Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the Church.  

Ephesians 4:15 (NLT)

At the moment of salvation—when you accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord—you are a new creation. You are transformed, redeemed, justified. At that moment, although we are given a new nature in Christ and the Holy Spirit starts living in us, we must still contend with our earth-bound flesh—our propensity to give in to sin. Until we go to Jesus or He comes for us, we live in a fallen body in a fallen world.

I say all that to say this: As a believer in Jesus (saved and born again), we are free from the penalty of sin and the wrath of God because Jesus paid it all for us. This is amazing grace! But from that point of salvation (whether it was a lightning-bolt moment or a slow realization), we must walk out our spiritual reality—becoming more and more like Jesus (called “sanctification”). This, my friend, is where Christianity gets hard.

See, if you are a believer, you have an awesome, miraculous testimony—a “I once was blind, but now I see” story. It doesn’t matter if you were five years old or 50. And hearing the testimony of others is always awe-inspiring. But this is just the beginning of our walk with Christ! It’s our “sanctification stories” that must be spoken among brothers and sisters! We must share our post-salvation trials, tribulations, and triumphs with one another. This is how we grow to become more and more like Christ (our underlying purpose in this life, per Romans 8:29).

All too often, men and women come to church buttoned up, every hair in place, and veneers of perfection intact…believing that because they’re “Christians” they must have it all together, no problems or challenges. But this isn’t what Jesus told His followers! He promised we’d have trouble in this world (John 16:33)! In order to grow in Christ—deepening our faith and love-in-action—we have to acknowledge that “walking out holiness” is a “Christian Family matter”. We are called to pray for, demonstrate love to, serve, and encourage one another. This is the unity we are meant to have in Christ (Colossians 2:2, 1 John 3:17-18).

But, friend, for this to happen, we can’t be pretenders. We have got to get real.

Our sanctification story—our Christian walk—is not a straight line. We step off path (sometimes in a painful fall), we take our eyes off Jesus on put them on self or others, and sometimes we actually start backtracking a bit. But we’re not alone in this! Other brothers and sisters have been through what we’ve been through! (No, really, they have! You are not the only one to struggle with whatever you’re struggling with!) But how can a brother or sister support you in love if you never reveal the truth about your walk? 

When we get real, we can find encouragement. We can be iron to sharpen one another (Proverbs 27:17). We are strengthened (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) and love is forged. This is the real Christian life.

Lord, You have given us the gift of unity. Allow me to share my walk with others and be an encouragement to those who open up their life to me.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t pause in awe when seeing a butterfly. The variations of color and wing size make each creature uniquely marvelous. But what’s even more amazing, is the metamorphic process by which the butterfly emerges as itself. 

A caterpillar wraps itself in a silk cocoon (chrysalis), during which time its old body is being broken down, dying to itself. An entirely new body is formed—a process called holometabolism. That’s not where it ends though! The butterfly has to break out of the protective shell it created, escaping the walls that would eventually kill it. But it is this part of the transformation that strengthens its wings, so when freed, it can boldly take flight.

Friend, this is our story in Christ! At the moment of surrender to Jesus—salvation—we are made new creatures! By grace through faith, our spiritual self goes from worm to butterfly. The problem, however, is that we are still in our old body. Our physical holometabolism has yet to happen. We are spiritually redeemed, but until we see Jesus face to face, we are cocooned in this earthly, sinful body living in a fallen, broken world. This, as the Apostle Paul writes often, creates a constant battle between new and old man—between flesh and spirit. 

But just like the butterfly strengthens its new body as it works to be completely free of its cocoon, we can—must—strengthen our spiritual self as we walk through this world. We must “work out our salvation” (Philippians 2:12) by daily taking off the former “wormy” exterior and putting on the beautiful colors of Christlikeness. Although it won’t be complete on this earth, this external transformation can be quite remarkable and awe-inspiring. 

So, how does this external process of becoming more like Christ happen for believers? We must be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2), setting our minds on the things above (Colossians 3:2). What is the source for this? God’s Word! We become like Jesus by knowing Him and His character. And we get to know Him through His Word—the Bible. 

I imagine that once the caterpillar has been changed into a butterfly, with brilliantly colored wings designed to soar, its sole preoccupation is to tear down its constraining cocoon. Likewise, we have to be preoccupied with Christ: fixing our eyes on him; tearing down and starving out that which is sinful (Colossians 3:5-8); and building up that which is True and Beautiful (Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 4:8). 

Friend, becoming a Christian does transform us spiritually from worm to butterfly. But we will live a cocooned life until our body is glorified. Until that time, as we daily remove the layers of what keeps us trapped, we can reveal our colors to a dark world, demonstrating what we were truly all meant to be.

Lord, I am a new creation in You. Help me walk out that spiritual reality as I make my way Home through this world.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 13:47-50

We all sort things. Every day. At the grocery store, we sort through the tomato bin, choosing the good tomatoes from the squishy and bruised ones. For us beach people, we sort through the myriad shells in the sand, seeking those treasures beautiful to our eyes. And most of us, every single day, sort through tens (or hundreds) of emails, pressing “delete” on many, moving some into folders for a later read, or pausing whatever we’re doing to take in those that need to take precedence. 

But, friend, did you know that there will come a day when we will be the ones being sorted? The Bible—in fact, Jesus Himself—not only talks about the separation of those who reject God from those who accept Him, but also about a sorting that will take place among the Church.

Not all who are churchgoers or claim to be Christians are. That’s a harsh thing to say out loud (well, to write out loud). For example, the “dragnet” in Matthew 13 is the Church—the sea is the world. Within the Church, there are wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:15-23)…and, today, there are an awful lot of wolves in wolf’s clothing being accepted in churches around the world. Sadly, these false teachers (heretics and apostates) are misleading the masses, often pulling them away from the Truth of God’s Word. 

This was true in the first century Church, when the Apostle Paul consistently warned believers of heretics and errorists, pushing worldly philosophies, legalism, mysticism, and asceticism (see Colossians 2). And these false teaching are alive and well in Christian churches today. So, how do we ensure we’ll be sorted into the “good fish containers”?

Regardless of what church denomination you attend (and as believers we are called to not give up meeting together—Hebrews 10:25), you must stand firm on God’s Truth. Followers of Jesus Christ must stay rooted in the Bible, being nourished only by the vine (Jesus). We must surrender ourselves to Him and be filled (controlled by) the Holy Spirit. We are complete in Christ (Col 2:10). It’s not “Jesus and” or “Jesus but”—it’s just Jesus. 

A sorting is coming. Don’t get caught up with the smelly, rotten fish.

Lord, may I stay rooted in You and You alone, not being deceived by the wolves in the world—and in the Church.

Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas. Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.

Colossians 4:14-15

Last year (and oh, what a year it was) the Fall brought really big changes for the Smith family. Our older son had just gotten married in July and lived a couple hours away (still in Virginia like us). Then, our younger son moved to North Carolina in October. So, before my husband and I packed up and relocated to Florida, we decided to have an early Thanksgiving—we called it “Smithsgiving”—since we would be separated for the actual holiday. It was wonderful.

I say all that because this year (which also brought lots of changes, shocking) we will not be with any family. Instead, we’ll celebrate a “Friendsgiving,” with our newfound community here in Florida. I only became acquainted with this term a few years ago, when people I knew said they were having Thanksgiving with friends in lieu of family (for a variety of reasons). Isn’t this awesome? Taking a holiday that has the potential to bring some negative emotions and turning it into a celebration of gratefulness for “created family”—it’s definitely worthy of its own moniker.

As the Apostle Paul wraps up his encouraging letter to the Colossians, he sends out lots of “greetings”—his own and from Luke and Demas—to their brothers and sisters in Christ, both in Colossae and in nearby Laodicea. These greetings tie a bow on one of his letter themes: that believers are to have unity—and community—with one another. Through our Christian love, we are strengthened in our faith and, though this love, we also demonstrate our faith to unbelievers. 

Paul is reminding us, through his greetings to groups of people he hasn’t even met before, that we’re to be intentional about forging our unity. Through Jesus Christ, we are family. And our respective church communities are a great place to start in creating believer-family circles. As God’s Word exhorts, we are to rejoice for each other and mourn with one another (Romans 12:15). We’re to not give up meeting together (Hebrews 10:25), and we’re to sharpen each other’s faith (Proverbs 27:17). This is what families of Christians do.

So, whether or not you have parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, etc. with whom you visit regularly and celebrate holidays, we are called to create family among other believers. Have you? Maybe you can start this coming Thanksgiving by inviting some friends to join your table, creating some grateful unity. Better yet, find someone at church who may not have any circle to join this holiday. Pouring out your Christian love in this way is sure to fill you up.

Heavenly Father, thank You for creating unity among believers. Thank you that, through Christ, we all have a family with whom we can celebrate, mourn, and grow.

Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.  

Colossians 4:1

Believer or unbeliever, most people are familiar with the “golden rule.” In fact, pretty much every world religion has some version of what Jesus declared to His followers: “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you” (Luke 6:31). Of course, these are wonderful words to live by…if only people would, am I right? And, of course, this simple little sentence in Luke sits amid much harder-to-do exhortations from Jesus. Things like loving our enemies (not just our friends), doing good to those who hate us, and (gulp) offering up our other cheek when someone slaps us in the face. (And we can confidently presume that other faiths around the world do not tout this agape-love attitude with their respective versions of the golden rule—one of the many reasons Christianity is different.)

In verses 1 through 4 of chapter 4 of Colossians, the Apostle Paul gives one of his many how-to-live lists that could be considered a direct tangent of the golden rule. Generally speaking, Paul’s lists are wonderful—a mix of very practical dos and don’ts, encouragements, and warnings. Here, in the first verse, Paul is speaking directly to slaveowners. In Greek and Roman times, slaves and bondservants were prevalent, but in our culture, he’s talking to Christian employers and managers. 

Believers who are over others are to treat their employees with justice and fairness—the same justice and fairness given to us by God. We may be a boss, but we also have a Boss. Our Master in heaven will judge us “masters” on earth who mistreat or abuse our employees. And going one step above the lateral golden rule to a more vertical iteration, we (bosses) should treat employees the way we want to be treated by our Lord. This certainly puts a powerful spin on that ubiquitous rule.

Even more importantly, we need to remember, as Paul reminds us so succinctly in Galatians 3:28, that we are all equals at the foot of the cross: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” We are all brothers and sisters, unified in our heavenly citizenship. We’re to love each other, not mistreat or abuse each other. We must extend grace and mercy to others—even to hateful employees or employers—because of the grace and mercy the Lord extended to us when we were His enemy.

Lord, You are my Master. Everything I have is yours, and all I do is for you. Remind me to treat those under (and around) me with the same loving grace you extend to me.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Colossians 3:16

I love music. Although I’m not sure how old I was when I got my first record player, I do know I spent hours at a time through elementary, middle, and high school splayed out on my bedroom floor (alone or with friends) playing records. At that time, album sleeves had all the lyrics, so in addition to appreciating the instrumentation, part of my focus was to learn each word of every beloved song. 

As a Christian, music is still very important to me—a different genre than before, to be sure. As is the purpose of worship music, these songs can transport us to the very throne of God. And, as the Apostle Paul notes in Colossians 3:16, music (psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs) can effectively teach and admonish (caution) us.

Well, it can. But, sadly, much of today’s “Christian” music is far from what Paul (and many of the Bible’s inspired writers) had in mind.

First, let’s go back to the first part of this packed verse: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom.” Speaking about God’s Word, this term, “to richly dwell” is to permeate—to have every thought, word, and action aligned with the Truth of the Bible. Just like Paul spoke of in Ephesians about the Holy Spirit, we must be controlled by (filled) by the Word. (In fact, being controlled—filled—by the Holy Spirit comes from being controlled—filled—by God’s Word!) Throughout Christian history, preachers were pretty straightforward: They taught the Bible. Not stories focused on themselves with a Bible verse thrown in for good measure. Not pop psychology or cultural activism based on out-of-context Scriptural references.

So, back to music. Those lyrics from the old hymns and songs were solidly based on God’s Word…because the songwriters knew God’s Word. (Because preachers were preaching the Word.) Lyrics were either literally pulled from the Bible (Psalms put to tunes, for instance), or they gave praise and worship to our Holy God for who He is—not touting what we get from Him or any “me-ness” of the relationship. (Well, I take that back…those Truth-filled songs did talk of “me-ness” in the fact that we are wretches and worms without the righteousness of Christ.) 

Christian hymns and songs should teach Scriptural Truth to encourage and caution. But if the songwriters—like so many today—are not permeated, filled, and controlled by God’s Word, they cannot accomplish this. What’s worse, in not knowing the Truth of God’s Word, they become heretics—believing and teaching others false doctrine! It’s so heartbreaking to watch those concert videos of tens of thousands of people (mostly youth) singing these “Christian” songs with a sense of rapture, thinking they are accurately worshipping our precious Lord. All too often, they are not only being misled and singing false doctrine, they are simply worshipping at the altar of self. 

Lord, keep me permeated with Your Word, so I can worship you in accurate spiritual songs and discern the Truth from lies from the singing mouths of wolves.

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:3-4

There are a lot of reasons people hide. As little kids, we may have hidden under our blankets, believing that the thin layer of cotton would protect us from any midnight monsters that may 

emerge from the closet. Or, in a neighborhood game of hide and seek, victory came to the one who found the best hiding place. Throughout life, we may hide to keep from being caught—literally or figuratively (which can have many contexts, positive and negative). Many of us hide from others who we really are in order to protect ourselves from pain and hurt. 

Good or bad, these earthly means of hiding are only temporary—and all are ineffective. We’ll eventually be found (or found out). But praise God, there is one way we can be permanently hidden—covered, secure, and protected in this world and reaping eternal victory in the next.

See, when Jesus died on Calvary’s cross and rose from the dead, He defeated Satan and death. He paid the price for our sin, so that we could exchange our filthy rags for a robe of righteousness. Accepting this gift of grace is what’s called salvation—a term many unbelievers don’t understand, or it simply sounds like foolish “religious mumbo-jumbo.” 

But in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he uses a phrase that can bring clear understanding of what salvation means for believers. “Your life is hidden in Christ.” It’s as if we are covered—hidden—by Jesus Himself. Like a daddy wrapping his arms around a small child, practically absorbing that little one into his embrace, we are hidden in the embrace of our Lord. When our heavenly Father looks at us, He doesn’t see our sin, failures, and faults. Because we’re hidden in Christ, God only sees the perfect righteous holiness of His Son.

And what’s equally amazing to realize is this: Being hidden in Christ also means that we’re protected from all our spiritual enemies—once saved, no one and nothing can snatch us out of His hands (John 10:28). Nothing can separate us from the love and acceptance of God—no accusation from the enemy will stick, no trouble or persecution can condemn us (Romans 8:31-36). In fact, when we are hidden in Christ, it’s like having a proverbial spiritual superhero alter-ego: we are more than conquerors over man and demon that comes against us—and they will (Romans 8:37-39). 

On our own, we cannot conquer sin, impending judgement, and the chasm that separates us from God. But Jesus can—He did. And it is only through salvation—being hidden with Christ—that we can.

Jesus, thank You for covering my sin with Your righteousness, for hiding me, protecting me, securing my eternal future with You.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:13

Hope is essential. And I think we can all agree that its opposite—hopelessness—leads to discouragement, depression, and desperation. Even in the secular vernacular, hope is vital to mental and emotional health. According to the website positivepsychology.com:

“A reason to continue fighting and believing”—I like this phrase. But the issue at hand is what “reason” we clutch onto. Is it some nebulous emotional state or even a reliance on “powers that be”? Is it people (or a person), a job, money, or a government? When hope evades some people, they even grasp at things like drugs and alcohol in order to infuse a bit of “hope” into their lives. Sadly, all these things, which people place their hope in all the time, are like shifting sands. Unstable, unreliable, uncertain.

For the Christian, we have “a reason to continue” that is sure—despite what’s going on around us. We hope in the Lord and His unmovable love. We have certainty in Jesus Christ, who, through His death and resurrection, exchanged our sin for His righteousness, making a way for us to stand before God unashamed and unjudged. We hope in our unchangeable salvation and our freedom in Christ. We hope in our ultimate release from this sinful (pain-filled and broken) body for a perfected vessel to house our also-perfected spirit. We hope in the new heaven and earth, once this fallen world is finally judged and burned up.

See, as time goes on, we will not “save the planet” or create “perfect societies”—on the contrary, the earth and its residents continue to decay and fall farther away from perfection. Hoping in “environmental sustainability” or any “new world order” is like hoping in mist. The only hope for humanity is Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

Even thousands of years before Christ, people and nations were putting hope in armies, governments, and false idols. Those leaders, armies, and nations—and their hopeful followers—all fell. The Truth, as recorded in God’s Word even then, holds fast:

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
             but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall,
             but we rise up and stand firm.

~ Psalm 20:7-8

Father, I am so thankful that the Source of my hope is sure, and that I can unreservedly live for my future, which is known and promised.

You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

Colossians 2:20-23 (NLT)

If you’re a rule follower like me, you get deep satisfaction from doing things the “right way”—especially if there is a set of regulations and protocols to follow. Sure, there’s an internal guidance in this regard, but when you know others can see you follow the rules, well, that’s all the better.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he’s warning this sweet fellowship of false teaching creeping into the church. A big issue was aestheticism, or self-denial, which was thought to free the spirit from the “evil body”, leading to deeper “spirituality” and a closer relationship to God. And this practice, according to those wolves, also allowed other people to see how spiritual you are, because your physical suffering was so evident.

Hmm, makes me think of Jesus saying the exact opposite to His disciples…how we are to give and fast in secret—not flaunting it for the accolades of others (see Matthew 6). So, the irony of this aestheticism teaching is that it appears spiritual and humble on the outside, while simultaneously being the height of vanity. (“Look at me! Watch me suffer! Aren’t I so amazingly spiritual?!”) Plus, just because a person does things to “look” spiritual and pure, their actual state of spiritual affairs could be pretty darn filthy. In the end, it’s all about “me” and not the Lord. (Again, Jesus talked a lot about this concept when it came to the Pharisees—whitewashed tombs and such.) 

As followers of Jesus Christ, we’ve been set free from manmade rules that promote “spirituality” and create sort of system to earn salvation. No to-do lists, no columns of “good” versus “bad” tallies, no hoops to jump through. On Calvary’s cross, Jesus accomplished what we could not, exchanging our sin for His righteousness. He paid it all—all we have to “do” is accept this amazing gift of grace. 

And once we say “yes” to salvation, we’re made complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10)—we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Then, in grateful response, we walk according to our new character. We extend forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love because Jesus extended these things to us—not so that He will. When we do stumble (because we will), He is quick to forgive us when we ask (1 John 1:9). (No to-do list there, either—can I get an “Amen!” from my former confession-goers?) So, let’s abandon any foolish rules we may be following to please God. It’s not do—it’s done.

Lord, in gratefulness for my salvation, I surrender my life to Your will and Your ways. Thank You for accomplishing what I could not.

Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 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.

2 Colossians 2:6-7

Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is a one-and-done decision. Once saved, always saved—no one can pluck you from His hand (John 10:28-30). That being said, in response to the Great Exchange (your sin for His righteousness), you are called to live life differently. To walk worthy of this new relationship with God (Eph 4:1; Col 1:10; 1 Thess 2:12)—and to do so with a “fruity” attitude of love with all its outpourings (see Galatians 5:22-23).

But how can we walk in Jesus? That’s a very tall order (Jesus being perfect and all). But there are a few important things the Apostle Paul mentions in his letter to the Colossians that instruct us about moving forward in the right direction.

1. We are “firmly rooted” in Christ. The Greek grammar is very encouraging here. The word for “having been firmly rooted” is errizonmenoi, which is a perfect tense participle. (Huh?) It means that this rooting takes place at the moment of salvation! It’s as if you’re a small bush that has been dug up—roots and all—out of your sinful life to be placed in a luscious greenhouse (new life), where, the moment you’re replanted, your roots are instantly being nourished for growth. And your fruit is on its way.
2. As we walk, we are being built up in Him. Here, the Greek for “being built up” is epoikodomoumenoi, which is—stay with me here—a present tense participle. This indicates continuous action! From a solid foundation of our salvation, we continuously grow to be more like Jesus by (a) studying the Word of God and (b) living out the grace, truth, and love we’ve been shown. Grounded and growing, we are established in our faith.
3. Because of our new roots, deepening daily through our Source, and our ongoing transformation to live in the reality of our righteousness in Christ, we are to overflow with gratitude. Thankfulness is truly a choice. Our salvation alone is reason enough to daily burst out in song! Beyond that, we can start with the breath in our lungs and work our way through the multitude of blessings we’ve been given. 

Friend, our walk with the Lord won’t be easy—that’s a promise right from His mouth. But moving in the direction of obedience is the call on our lives. We do that through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, along with knowing and living by the Truth of God’s Word. So, stay rooted, take in nourishment to thrive, and be sure to feed your growth with plenty of gratitude.

Thank You, Lord for trading my unrighteousness for Your perfect righteousness, establishing me in faith. May I live as a worthy ambassador of Your Kingdom…and give thanks all along the way.