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Tuesday,
January 7,
2025
"Staying Spiritually Based"
(Part 4)
Note:
This message
is part of a
series we
project to
last all week
based on
Colossians
2:6,7 which we
contend is a
key to staying
spiritually
based.
Message
summary:
Today
we consider
the phrase "continue
to live your
lives in Him".
That should be
the life goal
for all of us.
Listen to our message on your audio player.
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7).
Many years ago when I served a church in northern Pennsylvania a young man had come into the church, made a profession of faith and attended for a short time before dropping out. One day I saw him on the street and inquired about his spiritual condition and how we had missed seeing him in church. He replied, "I tried that (living for Christ) but it just didn't work for me".
I suppose he saw the life of faith as some type of problem-solving, self-help program and measured his lack of progress on this basis. In the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas they strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to remain true to the faith with this message: "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Now that's being bluntly honest!
Today we focus on a vital key to remaining steadfast, even through adversity, using a phrase from Colossians 2:6: “Continue to live your lives in Him." Actually in the Greek it's only three words, "ἐν αὐτῷ περιπατεῖτε", "in Him walk".
This
follows
yesterday's
portion,
"So then, just
as you
received
Christ Jesus
as Lord".
I find it
helpful in my
Bible study to
note the way
various
versions
render a verse.
The
elaboration in
various
translations
try to
describe the
sense and
richness of
the Greek:
"walk
(regulate your
lives and
conduct
yourselves) in
union with and
conformity to
Him"
(Amplified)
"keep
living your
life united
with Him"
(Complete
Jewish Bible)
"continue to live dependent on Him" (ISV)
However
in my view
sometimes the
line between
translating
and commenting
can get a bit
vague so we
always need to
use
discernment.
F.B.
Meyer (whose
full name is
Frederick
Brotherton
Meyer) was a
Bible teacher
who lived over
100 years ago
and was a
contemporary
to D.L. Moody.
He comments on
this verse:
"We received Jesus into our hearts by faith… In the same manner we must live always and everywhere, receiving from Him, by faith, grace upon grace, and allowing what He works in to work out in all manner of godliness, tenderness, and Christlikeness. This practice of looking to Jesus for grace in every circumstance of life tends to become more and more habitual."
Two senses of "continue to live":
1) The sense of a lifetime of living in Christ (being steadfast in faith)
2) The sense of continually, moment by moment, living in Christ which is for me the greater challenge with so many distractions - some good, others bad!
A
chorus that
has touched
our lives over
the years
comes to mind
"Step by
Step". .
I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days
Be encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, I
look to You
since You are
the One who
orders my
steps. Just
like walking
down the
stairway and
holding onto
the railing to
keep my walk
steady and to
prevent a
fall, I cling
to Your
righteous
right hand
daily as I
continue to
live my life
for You. You
lead me in the
paths of
righteousness
and gently
pull me back
when I'm
tempted to
wander or veer
off the path
You have for
me. Step by
step I want
You to lead me
so that I will
follow You all
of my days.
Amen.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
Barnes notes: So walk in him - Continue in those views of Christ; live in the maintenance of them; let them regulate your whole conduct. The word walk, in the Scriptures, is used to denote the manner of life; and the sense here is, that they should live and act wholly under the influence of the conceptions which they had of the Saviour when they first embraced him. The particle “so” is supplied by our translators, and rather weakens the sense. No stress should be laid on it, as is often done. The meaning is, simply, “Since you have received Christ as your Lord, as he was preached to you, hold fast the doctrine which you have received, and do not permit yourselves to be turned aside by any Jewish teachers, or teachers of philosophy.”
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version and a variety of other versions.
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