What Colossians Teaches Us Today

As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him.

–Colossians 2:6–7

As we’ve mapped out the book of Colossians, you may be asking why we’re studying a two-thousand-year-old document. Let me mention three applications this letter has for us today.

First of all, Colossians reminds us that we need to be pure in our doctrine. The Colossians were being led away from the truth of God by other philosophies–and we face the same danger today. Why is doctrine so important? Because what we believe determines how we behave. That’s true for us both individually and collectively. A church that is murky in its message will also be murky in its mission. Colossians reminds us of the importance of pure doctrine.

Second, Colossians encourages us to be mature in our faith. Paul wrote, “As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him” (2:6–7). Paul was saying when we receive Christ Jesus as Lord, we are firmly rooted in Him. But that’s only the beginning of the relationship. We are to walk in Him and grow in Him.

Imagine you plant an apple tree in your yard. You never water it. You never fertilize it. You never prune it. And the tree doesn’t produce apples. Year after year, you uproot the tree and replant it in new soil, yet still there are no apples. What’s wrong with your apple tree? The soil has all the nutrients your tree needs. The problem is you aren’t cultivating the tree. You have a responsibility to nourish the tree if you want it to produce fruit.

It’s the same way in your relationship with Christ. He is the spiritual soil. He has everything you need to grow, but you have to cultivate your relationship with Him. Some Christians feel their lives are lacking, so they uproot themselves and move from church to church or even to another religious system. But Christ alone is sufficient to meet our every need. Colossians reminds us to cultivate our relationship with Him.

Third, Colossians reminds us that we need to be committed to ministry. Look at Colossians 1:28: “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.” One mark of spiritual maturity is sharing God’s truth with other people. You will never be complete in your relationship with Christ until sharing Christ with others is the central focus of your life. Jesus Christ is sufficient for our needs, and He ought to be preeminent in our lives. That’s the message of Colossians.

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “Growing Strong in Christ” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2011.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.