It’s your journey
By Julia Fowler, Worship Arts Pastor
TEXT: Colossians 2:6-8
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."
I've spent quite a bit of time this week reading various items. One has been the latest edition of Worship Leader magazine. It's not always remarkably inspiring, but sometimes has a good thought of truth here or there. I've re-read a section of a book titled Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller and just barely started the book Pastor Laura has recommended to the church The Present Future by Reggie McNeal. The other book I try to always include in my reading schedule is God's Word. I find I need to balance the "truths" I read elsewhere with the truths that I know are present in scripture and for me I choose to measure those much in the same way of John Wesley with reason, considering what has been traditionally taught or accepted, my own experience and with scripture.
Lately I have returned to the book of Colossians. Even though it is short, it is meaty – in other words, it's a main course book!
When I read verses such as the ones I've highlighted today I remember that this life is a one ride ticket, followed by this confronting question: "What am I doing with it?"
These v erses in Colossians say that we are to live in Christ, to be strengthened by what we are taught and to be overflowing with thankfulness for it all. Then it tells us to see to it that we're not taken off guard and filled up by other stuff that's not good for anything. For me today when I put these together hear the Spirit saying that we are going to get filled up by something in this life; every moment adds something to the cup be it Christ or something else. But Paul's reminding us to guard the cups of our lives and to see to it (in other words, be intentional guardians over your cup) to make sure it gets filled up by the right things… because either way it's going to overflow. You can overflow doubt or faith. You can overflow truth or lies. You can overflow encouragement or discouragement. You can overflow the joys of Jesus or the sorrow of sin. Whether intentional or not, your life, this one and only journey, is overflowing something onto the lives of those around you.
It's your journey… so perhaps today you need to consider, "what ARE you doing with it?"
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