Colossians 1:21-23

Colossians 1

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,

22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

One of the most difficult things in the Christian life is steadfast faith. When you first experience Christ in your life, and you are no longer the lost person in verse 21, you are usually excited and on fire for God. Eventually, that feeling often starts to wane and you aren’t quite as focused on God as you once were.

Then something comes along that reignites your passion for the Gospel and living a Godly life. You once again are committed and driven to live better and share your faith. But if we aren’t careful, before long, that passion and drive is again lost.

Sometimes, when we go too long between these reigniting experiences, we begin to doubt our faith or we draw further away from God and towards other idols in our lives.

According to verse 23, this isn’t the experience God wants for us. He desires for us to continue in stable and steadfast faith, not shifting from the hope of the gospel. Rather than a series of highs and lows, a steady faith that is constantly growing and progressing more and more towards becoming Christ-like.

You will hopefully still have incredible experiences with God that make you even more fervent and passionate, but they shouldn’t be followed by seasons of drought or doubt. So how is this done?

I think Paul addresses this earlier in the same chapter as he goes over his prayer for the people at Colossae (1:9-14). He prays the following things-

-The people will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will- staying focused on the calling God has given you and pursuing it gives you purpose and a drive to live to the Christian life.

-Be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding- If we aren’t in the Word and aren’t being discipled, we are easily drawn away from God and into sin. By growing in your relationship with God and being filled with spiritual wisdom, we keep progressing and do not grow stagnant in our Christian walk.

-Walk in a manner worth of the Lord, pleasing him, bearing fruit- If your life is full of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and you are honoring God as He moves in you to live according to His scripture, you are experiencing God daily through that fruit and how He moves in your life- keeping you grounded in your faith and relationship with Him.

-Be strengthened with power according to His might, for endurance and patience with joy- Certainly continuing in steadfast stable faith is not possible apart from God strengthening you and giving you the endurance you need to walk in Him regardless of the trials and temptation of the world.

-Give thanks- Continually remember the work God has done and is doing in your life. Thank Him for it. Thank Him as He reveals His will to you, even when it doesn’t align with your own will. As you acknowledge His work in your life, your commitment to steadfast faith will continue to be strengthened.