Get Your Coordinates Set on Christ

Whenever you start something new it always begins at the beginning. At the beginning of the letter to the Colossians Paul starts at the foundations of our beliefs; faith, hope and love. 

"Because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints - the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth." Colossians 1:4-6 

Faith produces love. Faith in God allows us to hope because nothing can thwart his ultimate will. Both faith and love come from the hope we have in Christ Jesus. I think it was a song by the Police that said, "There is no political solution for our troubled evolution." In contrast there is a hymn that says, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' love and faithfulness."  

At the start of Colossians the Apostle takes us back to the foundations of our relationship with God. The gospel, the word of truth, triggered within us the awakening of our spirits. We once were dead and now we are alive in Christ. The fruit that is born in us is faith and love. 

Let's call this refocusing. Take a moment to remember that our hope is in and only in the Lordship and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ. He alone is our salvation. 

My family and I have been geocaching. It is kind of like treasure hunting using a GPS. If your coordinates are off you can end up looking for the "cache" on the opposite side of a building or town. If your coordinates are right all is good. Walking with God is a bit like that. If we are looking for the wrong kind of fruit from our faith in Christ we will end up wandering around aimlessly. But, if your hope is in Christ, faith and love will spring up in you. 

Father, may the hope we have in Christ Jesus bear the fruit of faith and love in all we do. Praise be to you in us today!