Living faithfully to our calling

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. Colossians 1:25-29

When we claim that we are a follower of Christ as His disciple, it means that we have relinquished the claim that our lives belong to us and is at our disposal. This is why Paul referred to himself as servant of Christ from the text. True discipleship is acquainting our lives to the One we love most. Paul believed that Christ’s followers are commissioned to contend for the spiritual growth of those entrusted to them so they could walk alongside with them in their relationship with Christ. He was willing to suffer so he could fulfill God’s calling. It will be disappointing to see Christians not fully dedicating themselves to Christ. We should long for ourselves as well as for other believers a life that manifest Christian virtues described as fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). These virtues are what characterized the life of Christ. Godliness is not attained by just engaging in religious activities. Christian activities are important expression of your relationship with Christ but they could not be used as the measurement of Christlikeness. So when God directs you to someone that you can help grow in their faith, don’t just encourage them to take part in spiritual activities, instead demonstrate to them what Christlikeness through your walk with Christ. Let them see in you that Christ is indeed your hope for glory. Do not deny other believers the opportunity to grow just because you are not willing to grow spiritually yourself. If you claim you are a follower of Christ and you are living your life contrary to His calling then you are depriving yourself the opportunity to be used for His glory. As Paul said the goal is to “present everyone fully mature in Christ.” This takes energy and hard work but Christ’s power working in us is always available. “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).

Blessings,

Noel De Guzman

www.my-wbc.com