“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in Him.”          Colossians 2:6

If there is one thing that is natural for human beings, even Christians, that is operating in independence. Watching a little child grow, it’s natural for them want to become self-sufficient and do things “on their own.” While independence is good in the growth of a child, there is no place for it in the growth of the child of God. No where in Scripture are we taught to become more ‘independent’ as we grow in the Lord, but in fact, to become more dependent. Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.“ In the title verse, Paul was exhorting Christians, who would be facing persecution and deception, to not forget the fundamentals of their faith but to order their lives by them each day. How did they receive salvation? By simple child-like faith in Christ and what He accomplished on the Cross.  What do coaches do when their team begins to make mistakes? They go back to the fundamentals! As a follower of Christ, we must always remember how we first received Him (by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice on Calvary), and daily order our life by looking to the Cross as the object our faith. How did you receive Him? Not by any good work, merit, or righteous effort on your part – but by simple faith in the blood of Jesus.

The word “walk” in Colossians 2:6 speaks of “ordering one’s life,” meaning we are to approach each day with the same child-like faith that we expressed when we first got saved. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Taking up our cross is not a religious activity we perform, but rather the direction of faith we choose. As we daily direct our faith back to the Cross of Christ, the Holy Spirit will have free reign to change and empower us, supplying to us all the benefits for which Christ died. If we attempt to “move beyond the Cross” (as some teach) we will, in fact, backslide. The shed blood of Jesus Christ is the only thing that pleases the Father and He calls us to renew our faith in it every single day. In so doing, we will experience the “life and life to the full”  that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.

Each day, our prayer ought to be: “Lord, today I am just as incapable of producing any fruit of worth on my own, and I need your mercy and grace to help me. I place my faith in the Blood of Jesus today, just as I did when first surrendered to You, and ask for the help of Your Holy Spirit to make me what I ought to be and change me from what I am.”

In Christ,

Aaron Hoffman