Tuesday December 10, 2013
Colossians 2:6-8

The two short verses for today’s reading includes our memory verse for this week. Let’s take a look!

I have been memorizing Colossians 2:6-7 but I confess that I have been captured by one particular word. It is a word that takes us back to the past while it launches us into the future. It is the word ‘continue.’

Continue: to do something without stopping; to keep doing something in the same way as before. To stay in a job or position, to keep happening or existing, to remain active or in existence without changing or stopping. For something to continue…it must have a history and it must have a future; but the hinge point is always today!

The instruction in Colossians 2:6 is to “continue to live our lives in him (in Jesus)” so we can become stable, rooted, strong and thankful. It goes on to insist that we stay in touch with Jesus rather than being captive to the traditions of the world. Did the Apostle Paul know about Christmas traditions in 2013? Did he foresee the resources we will spend on lights, decorations, and insignificant gift giving? Did he know that we walk a fine line between being focused on the ‘Word that became flesh’ and the world that wants us to eat and spend our way through the holidays?

If we want to ‘continue’ in the Lord it would be helpful if we went back to see what we want to recapture for future activity. What would you say are the two or three top things the Lord has done for you in the past? How would you identify the three or four things that you have done to strengthen your relationship with the Lord? Which of those items would you like to magnify and launch into the future?

What if we made a faith commitment to reflect on the past, to renew our commitment today, and to dedicate ourselves to a future that maximizes the possibilities of growth in our faith and service to our world? What would that look like for you?

Memory Verse For This Week:

Colossians 2:6-7 NIV
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

Missional Prayer Focus For Today:
Please pray for the extended mission ministry of Global Hope as abandoned and orphaned children in Romania, Kenya, and India find the power of hands-on Christian love.