6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:6-8)
4 As you come to him, the living Stone —rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4,5) [also compare Eph. 2:21-22]
(David Livingstone statue in Glasgow- picture taken by the author)
Thoughts: The image often used in the New Testament of the Church is of a living building. Peter, whose name means "rock", calls Christ and us, living rocks. Colossians morphs the building up and the living tree together.
As we grow, as we continue to live in Christ, we are building up the kingdom of God. We are not called to coast or be staid in our faith. We are not merely stones- we are living stones- who continue to be nourished through Him and get our strength from Him. When we are stone-dead in our faith, we do not please Him. When we give into shallow thinking (think "Shallow Hal"), or shallow philosophy that refuses to see the whole spiritual dimension of life- we freeze our faith.
Part of being a living-stone is to offer ourselves as sacrifices (1 Pt. 2:5) which pleases Him. In Glasgow Scotland there is a statue to Dr. David Livingstone who gave up his homeland and his comforts to go to Africa- exploring and spreading the good news of Christ. He was one of the first Europeans to travel across the continent and he renamed Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria. He did much to abolish the slave trade. Livingstone's motto was, "I am prepared to go anywhere as long as it be forward." Today there are as many Christians in Africa as in North America because of Livingstone and those like him. Livingstone lived up to his name.
As we grow, as we continue to live in Christ, we are building up the kingdom of God. We are not called to coast or be staid in our faith. We are not merely stones- we are living stones- who continue to be nourished through Him and get our strength from Him. When we are stone-dead in our faith, we do not please Him. When we give into shallow thinking (think "Shallow Hal"), or shallow philosophy that refuses to see the whole spiritual dimension of life- we freeze our faith.
Part of being a living-stone is to offer ourselves as sacrifices (1 Pt. 2:5) which pleases Him. In Glasgow Scotland there is a statue to Dr. David Livingstone who gave up his homeland and his comforts to go to Africa- exploring and spreading the good news of Christ. He was one of the first Europeans to travel across the continent and he renamed Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria. He did much to abolish the slave trade. Livingstone's motto was, "I am prepared to go anywhere as long as it be forward." Today there are as many Christians in Africa as in North America because of Livingstone and those like him. Livingstone lived up to his name.
Prayer: May I, Lord give myself as a living sacrifice to you- holy and acceptable in your sight.
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