Grow With Pastor Joe

Devotions for the Head, the Heart, and the Home

Col. 1:22-23

Read: In Col.1, Paul is powerfully demonstrating the reconciling work of Christ. Jesus, through His sacrificial substitutionary and sufficient atoning death for us has reconciled His former enemies and embraced them as friends. We have been reconciled to Christ, by Christ, and together in Christ. This reconciling work of Jesus is to continue in us to make us grow to be more like Him. God’s plan for every believer is growth. Spiritually, we never reach a point where we stop growing. Many stagnate in their growth but God’s plan is that we’d continue to grow into the fulness of who we are in Christ. One day, when we leave this world we will experience it but until then, we must keep growing. These two verses give us two things that each of us should grow in. (1) Keep growing in holiness. To be holy, unblameable and unreproveable in the sight of God is what the Christian life is all about. Holiness is Christlikeness. God is holy and commands us to be holy (pure, separate, undefiled). The goal of faith is to grow in holiness so that we would be more Christlike and more Christ honoring. (2) Keep growing in hope. Biblical hope is confidence in faith. It is not wishful thinking but confident trust in the work of Christ, past, present, and future. The only hope we have is in the gospel that saved us. The gospel that saved us also sanctifies us and strengthens us day-by-day. As we grow in holiness we grow in hope. As we grow in hope we grow in holiness. We must be grounded and settled so that we can grow in Christlike holiness and hope in Christ as we seek to live in and for Him. Christian living is simply to look to Christ and just keep growing. Little by little. Day by day. Let God grow you in holiness and hope in Christ.

Reflect:  Read Col. 1 and write down or discuss all the things we have been given in Christ. How do these motivate holiness and hope?

Rest: Rest your head, heart and home in the work that He is doing for, in, and through you to grow you in holiness and hope.

Respond: Begin and end each day praying for with faithful hope for God to grow you in holiness so that you would be grounded and settled in the faith.