Seeking To Learn From My Relationship With Christ And Others

In review of Colossians 2:6 it says, “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him” (NLT).

Bottom Line:

As you accept Christ, you must also continue to follow him.

What this means to me:

There is more to just accepting Christ, I must continue to follow and learn from him.

In Colossian 2, Paul explains that just as I have accepted Christ Jesus as my Lord, I must continue to follow him. I should let my roots grow down into him, and let my life be built on him. Then my faith will grow strong in the truth I was taught, and I will overflow with thankfulness. I shouldn’t let anyone capture me with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in human body. So I’m made complete through my union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. My receiving Christ as Lord of my life is just the beginning of life with him. I must continue to follow his leadership by being rooted, built up, and strengthened in faith. Christ wants to guide me and help me with my daily problems. I can live for Christ by (1) committing my life and submitting my will to him; (2) seeking to learn from him, his life, and his teachings; and (3) recognizing the Holy Spirit's power in me.

In Colossians 2, Paul uses the illustration of me being rooted in Christ. Just as plants draw nourishment from the soil through their roots, so I draw my life-giving strength from Christ. The more I draw my strength from him, the less I will be fooled by those who falsely claim to have life's answers. If Christ is my strength, I will be free from human regulations.

I’m reminded that the Bible often compares life to a walk, because life is a journey. I’m not sitting still. Throughout the New Testament, I see where I’m told to walk in wisdom, love, light, and obedience. I’m told to walk as Jesus walked. I’m also told to walk alongside other people.

Here are three reasons we need to walk with other people:

It’s safer. Walking alone at night through a dark alley or down a lonely country road is a little scary. But if I have another person with me, I feel safer.

It’s supportive. Life is not a 50-yard dash. It’s a marathon! Walking with other people gives you the energy to keep on going until the end.

It’s smarter. I learn more by walking with others than by walking alone. If I’m walking alone in the wrong direction, I may never realize it. But if I have a friend beside me, one of us is likely to recognize that I’ve veered off the path and need to find the right direction.

I can learn some important lessons when I walk alongside other people. I learn how to get along and cooperate with others.

I also learn how to love. Genesis 2:18 tells us, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (NIV). God hates loneliness, and community is God’s answer to loneliness. When I walk alongside other people, I find a community where I learn how to love.

And walking alongside others also teaches me hospitality. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:9, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (NIV). What’s my grumble? What’s my excuse for not opening my home to friends?

Everybody has a longing for belonging, because God made me for relationships. When I walk alongside other Christians in community, I find that longing satisfied.