Walking In Christ - Colossians 2:6-7

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. - Colossians 2:6-7

    Many have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior but now, due to cultural and societal stigma, they appear and sound more like the world around them than Jesus. The Apostle, Paul admonishes us all to first remember how we received Christ. And reminds us to ‘walk in him.’
    We are ‘rooted,’ firmly grounded in our faith. That means, like a sturdy and healthy tree, we will not be blown over or shaken to our foundations by the imaginings and flights of fantasy that affect so many ‘professing’ Christians. How often have we heard nominal Christians exposit upon some wild ideas about their faith in Christ?
    Being ‘rooted and built up in Him’ means that we are well-grounded in God’s holy, infallible, and inerrant Word. We know what we believe and why we believe it - “ . . . but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you . . . .” - 1 Peter 3:15.
    We are ‘established in the faith,’ just as we have been taught. It is only through diligent and determined belief and faith in Jesus Christ that we find ourselves ‘established.’ We are certain in our belief that we can count on Christ because of the faith we have in Him. And there is only one way that we can have such immovable faith.“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” - Romans 10:17. Hearing His Word through the Holy Scriptures comes as we listen to our pastors on Sunday and our own voices as we daily read the Word or share in a Bible study.
    And we must ‘abound’ in thanksgiving. All this deeply ingrained faith instills in our hearts a love for Christ that can come to us in no other way. That love is expressed in our thanksgiving. We are thankful because God’s Word is illuminating - “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” - Psalm 119:105. We are thankful because God’s Word is true - “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”  - John 17:17. And we are thankful because God’s Word is eternal - “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”- Matthew 24:35.
    We cannot glorify God by walking like the rest of the world. If our daily behavior appears no different than the behavior of those who are ‘of this world’ how will anyone recognize and know the difference? How will God be glorified?
    However, glorifying God doesn’t involve a baseless all-inclusive love for everyone and their sinful ways. We must understand and accept the fact that there will always be those who reject God and His commandments. These are worldly people who have not the slightest desire to love God and obey Him and have not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. For these people, we can only pray that God would indeed bring His light into their darkened world.
    It has been said that ‘we are often the only Bible others will ever see.’ If our lives don’t reflect the Word of God then how do others see us? We must constantly be on guard to make sure we are reflecting an image that glorifies God and not ourselves. No matter what we are doing, we must behave in a way that glorifies God. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” - 1 Corinthians 10:31. This is what is meant by the idea of ‘walking in Christ.’
    As we draw closer to Christmas we need to remember that the feelings of good tidings and generosity should stay with us year ‘round, not just during the holiday season, always remembering the surest way to glorify God - “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”- John 13:35.