“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,” (Col 2:6a)
My wife and I like to take walks together, which has been somewhat hard for us to do since the boys came along. But when the weather is nice and the boys are cooperating, we take the opportunity to take a walk on the country roads around our home. This might be an oversimplification, but what it means for my family and me to go on a walk together is for us to actually walk next to each other. If I ran ahead, lagged behind, or just quit altogether, it would be hard for me to say I went on a walk with my family.
Applying that idea to Paul’s phrase “walk in him” gives us a good idea of what Paul wants us and the Colossians to do, which is to continually walk alongside Jesus. He doesn’t want us to lag behind, walk ahead, or quit altogether. He wants us to stay right next Jesus.
As we walk next to Jesus, we should be in conversation with Him, so that He is establishing our values, guiding our thinking, and directing our conduct. As we continue walking with Jesus, our lives should constantly be changing.
Continually walking with Jesus, however, is easier said than done. Maybe we have gotten out of the habit, found another walking partner or we are just not feeling it. Whatever it may be, Paul knows it can happen, which is why he, like the good spiritual trainer he is, provides us with motivation for why we should keep walking with Jesus.
3 Things We Must Do to Keep Walking with Jesus
(1) We must remember our profession of faith (vs. 6)
In verse 6, before Paul tells us to walk in Jesus he says, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord,” (Col. 2:6a)
One of my family members adopted a little boy a couple of years ago. When you adopt a child, you adopt them for life. No matter what happens, or who he becomes, he is theirs. If there was any doubt as to their commitment, they only need to look back to the day when they received him.
In a similar way, that is what Paul wants us to do. He wants us to look back on the day we received Jesus; to remember our profession of faith and what we thought about Jesus, namely that He is the Lord of our lives and our Savior. Remembering our profession of faith and what we thought about Jesus should motivate us to continue walking with Him, so that He is the One who is establishing our values, guides our thinking, and direct our conduct.
Question for Reflection
- Are you continually walking with Jesus or are you allowing other walking partners to steal you away?
Resources
Post adapted from my sermon How can we continue to walk with Jesus?