This passage anchors believers to Jesus as the map and compass: having received Christ as Lord, walk in him; be rooted, built up, and established in the faith so that empty philosophies and human traditions do not draw you off course—remember that Christ is fully God, fills you, completes you, and through his cross has cancelled the debt you owed so you might live as citizens of his kingdom. [50:20]
Colossians 2:6-15 (KJV)
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Reflection: Identify one area of your life where you feel “off-course” from Christ (an idol, habit, or worldly philosophy). What is one concrete step you will take today—one specific Scripture to read, one person to confess to, or one practical change—to re-align yourself with Jesus as your True North?
Love for one another, modeled by Jesus washing feet and commanding a new kind of relationship, is the unmistakable sign of being his follower; when a congregation truly loves through forgiveness, service, and sustained care, the world sees the gospel's power and the church grows even across cultural divides. [55:30]
John 13:34-35 (KJV)
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Reflection: Name one person in this church or your neighborhood you have avoided or judged. What specific, humble act of service or reconciliation will you do for them in the next 48 hours (a phone call, an apology, a meal, or prayer), showing Christ-like love?
Allow God's peace to govern daily choices and relationships: let the Word dwell richly, teach and admonish one another, sing with thankfulness, and let gratitude displace discontent so your heart is guided by Christ's rule rather than by shifting desires or culture's sales pitch. [01:01:04]
Colossians 3:15 (KJV)
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Reflection: When you feel a tug toward anxiety, comparison, or greed today, stop and name three things you are thankful for right then; then read Colossians 3:15 aloud and ask God to let his peace make the decision—what specific temptation will you refuse now, and how will you replace it with thanksgiving?
Christ's deity and incarnation mean he is the unchanging true guide: the Word was with God and was God, and the Word became flesh to provide the way, the truth, and the life—therefore believers have a sure, steady compass that does not move and a shepherd who knows and leads his sheep. [01:03:29]
John 1:1,14 (KJV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Reflection: Spend ten minutes today quietly reading John 1:1 and 1:14, then write one sentence answering: how does believing that Jesus is both God and man change a specific choice you need to make this week? Commit to that choice and tell one trusted believer what you will do.
Salvation is received by confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in his resurrection—there is nothing to add to Christ's finished work; those in Christ are also called to baptism, good works, and to lay every burden at the foot of the cross because the debt was paid in full. [01:15:52]
Romans 10:9 (KJV)
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Reflection: If you have never confessed Jesus publicly, pray Romans 10:9 aloud now and tell a Christian today; if you have confessed, name one specific habit, relationship, or idol you will hand to Jesus this week (write it down and give it to God in prayer), and take one concrete step toward baptism or renewed obedience.
I invited us to see God’s Word as our compass and Christ as True North. Using the picture of magnetic north and declination, I warned how even small deviations—ideas that feel clever, spiritual, or urgent—can pull a life miles off course if we don’t keep recalibrating to Christ. Colossians 2:6–15 gives four True North principles: in Jesus we are content, competent, complete, and crowned. Paul writes from house arrest, yet content, to a church being lured by “Jesus plus”—extra philosophies, mystical add-ons, and rule-keeping. He calls us back to what we first received: Christ Jesus as Lord. Rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith, we abound with thanksgiving.
That contentment shows up in how we love one another. Church isn’t a building or a calendar block. It’s a Spirit-shaped people practicing the “one anothers” day after day. This stands in stark contrast to the cultural current that moves us from gratitude to grasping within 24 hours of Thanksgiving. So we resist the pull by daily engaging Scripture and letting the peace of Christ rule our hearts. The Word doesn’t drift; it endures forever. Jesus doesn’t drift; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is fully God and fully man—our true compass point.
In Him we are not just resourced; we are complete—filled up with ongoing effects—because He is the head over every power and authority. We don’t need Jesus plus anything to become whole. By His cross and resurrection we’ve been transferred out of the domain of darkness into the kingdom of the Son. That transfer is pictured in baptism: buried with Christ, raised with Him, now living as citizens of a new society under a new King with a new heart. On the cross Jesus declared tetelestai—paid in full. He nailed our debt to His cross and triumphed over every power. Because He is crowned with glory and honor, we are crowned in Him—not to preen but to serve, endure, and shepherd with His strength. So whatever is trying to pull you off True North today, lay it down at the cross. Open the Scriptures, ask the Father, and let His Spirit align your steps.
Colossians 2:6–15 — 6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
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