GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
COLOSSIANS 2:6
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, walk in him,
The gift of Christ is given through the preaching of the gospel, or through baptism which brings the gospel together with the washing of sins, which, indeed, is the gospel as well. Paul preaches to the Colossians that they must “walk in him,” which means to live one’s life according to Christ.
Is this to merit anything? No. We do not merit anything through our actions. Is this to separate ourselves from the world? Partly. We do not embrace the sinful world, but we are part of it; we live in it, and we have been placed here by our gracious God to carry out his will. But we do not conform to the standards of the world. We conform ourselves rather to Christ.
Walking in Christ is more than behaving like him. It means putting our whole faith in him. Since Christ is the vessel containing all the mysteries of God, we want to drink from such a vessel and no other. We want to meditate on the words of Christ, the works of Christ, and the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. We look for his return, and we contemplate his incarnation. In all of these things we behold the grace of God, the compassion of God, the love of God, poured out generously for mankind in Christ.
At Colosse, this was the preaching of Epaphras. Paul could not approve more. The Colossians should love and appreciate and support the work of their pastor. The faithfulness of a pastor on behalf of his Lord and in the service of his congregation is a dear treasure. There are ministers in some parts of the Christian Chruch who have been sown like weeds, not even Christians themselves, leading their people nowhere but to confusion and doubt. Some of those weeds seem beautiful, with glorious flowers like autumn Sumac, but just as poisonous; worthless to the human soul. Treasure the faithful pastor that you have called. Pray for your pastor and encourage him even as he encourages and prays for you. Listen to his preaching and treasure every precious gem of Scripture he presents. The greatest of these is the cross of Jesus Christ, and if he lifts high the cross more than any other teaching of the Bible, then you have a blessing for which to praise God always. For we are reconciled to God through the cross (Eph. 2:16), and the message of the cross is the true wisdom and knowledge of God, and it is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18). Those who reject the cross become enemies of Christ and of God (Ph. 3:18), but through the cross we have peace with God in the blood of Christ (Col. 1:20). This is why he came, and this is why we strive to walk in him, and to fear, love and trust in him above all things.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota