“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7.

We sometimes talk about the need to receive Christ as Savior, realizing that he alone can save us from our sins. But, there is more to it than that. If we are going to be Christians, we must realize that Christ is both Savior and Lord. He will be in charge of all things in our lives if we follow him. To hold back anything is to not really trust him as Lord.

In the verses quoted above Paul expresses the idea several ways: walk in him, rooted and built up in him, established in the faith. Ongoing action and devotion is clearly required.

Some might wonder if this is true of them or not. William Law, the 18th century Anglican pastor, expressed the concept like this: If you stop and ask yourself why you are not so devoted as the (early) Christians, your own heart will tell you that it is neither through ignorance nor inability, but purely because you never thoroughly intended it.

It may seem rather strange, but I believe Law is right: Many who claim to be Christian may wonder why they are not more devoted to Christ when all along it was never their intention to be. Many would prefer to follow Jesus out of convenience or because he promises eternal life and, hey, who doesn’t want to go to heaven, right?

But, Jesus doesn’t extend an offer for life insurance only. He extends an offer of a changed life of love and obedience to him which requires taking up a cross daily, which essentially means dying to self.

Remember the story of when a young man came to Jesus asking what he must do to have eternal life (Mark 10:17-23)? What did Jesus tell him? Go, sell all your possessions and give it away to the poor, and then come follow me.

But the man went away sad.

Why? Because he was rich, and his wealth was something he was not willing to give up. It was an idol, and Jesus knew it was keeping him from God, so he told the man to get rid of it.

What are idols we might hang on to? Money (possessions), status (prestige, reputation, position), relationships, even the church (is this Christ’s church, or our church, or worse yet, my church)?

Jesus may not ask you to sell everything you have and give it away like he did with that young man if your money and possessions are not an idol to you. But, the question we must all face every day is this: Would I be willing to give up my possessions, reputation, children, etc., if Jesus asked me to do so? Or, would I not be able to do so and walk away?

And, by walking away, can I accept that I’m pretty content to be nothing more than a Christian in talk only and not genuine devotion?

To live the Christian life will mean a commitment to the Lordship of Christ, which will mean saying yes to Jesus whenever he asks me to give something or someone up.

He doesn’t want us to stay immature; he’d rather see us grow up to be rich in faith and devotion, but he knows we need a bigger space to grow.

That’s why Jesus asks each of us the question, “Which will it be? Me, or _____________?”

Rev. Randy Crane is the pastor at Waldensian Presbyterian Church in Monett. He may be reached at cranes5@hotmail.com.