During the season of spring, for many our attention turns to the nurture and upkeep of our yards, flower beds, and gardens. We seek to help our plants grow, which is a struggle because of the challenges of giving the plants sufficient water but not too much water. Also, we contend with the animals eating up our plants whether deer, rabbits, squirrels, or insects. It is a challenge to keep and maintain growth in our plants, and the same challenge is true in maintaining spiritual growth in our relationships with God.
The apostle Paul says this in Colossians 2:6,7,
“6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”
Walking implies several aspects of Christian life all of which are important for our spiritual growth and the deepening of our faith in Christ.
Walking in Christ as spoken of in Colossians 2:6 means continuing to trust in Christ for our salvation. Just as we have begun our Christian life by trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins as the One who died on the Cross for our sins and rose again for our justification, so we persevere in this trust in Christ as Lord, our God, and our Savior. Thus, walking in Christ Jesus as Lord implies continuance.
Walking in Christ also implies progress. We are to grow in God’s grace, from grace to grace, and yield to Christ in this process of being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). The apostle Paul addresses this issue of our gradual transformation into the image of Christ in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
We are to proceed and make progress in our life in Christ ever depending on the Holy Spirit to mold and shape us into the image of Christ.
Walking in Christ also implies this is our habit. When we speak of a person’s habit, we mean his routine, his custom, what he usually does and is committed to, and the constant theme of his life. We must cling to Christ, not let Him go, live in Him, and be grounded in Him.
May God grant to us that we might grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
