A while ago, I canceled the internet at our house. I know what you’re thinking, “How do you survive without the internet?” Well, I’ve got my laptop so I can get a signal most of the time and I’m online all day at work, so I manage to get by. But recently my wife has decided to go back to school to get her Master’s in Childhood Education and some of her work will need to be done online. So, I guess I’ll be getting the internet hooked up again pretty soon. When I do, I’m not sure my older desk top is going to survive. I can’t even imagine how many updates have happened since we turned the internet off. Normally I don’t even pay attention to the dialog box when it says it needs to download an update, I just click yeas and go about my business. This time may be different however. My home PC is old and I’m wondering if it will be able to handle recovering from being disconnected.
This whole idea of being disconnected reminded me of our lesson this week. Colossians 3 is an amazing Chapter teaching about the necessity of staying connected to our Savior. When we get saved, we’re simply entering into a relationship, not arriving at a destination. Just like there are constant updates streaming to my computer, my life is in constant need of daily upgrades. This is what spiritual formation looks like. It’s daily becoming more and more like Christ. The problem is, many of us want that to happen yet we don’t stay connected to Him. Showing up at church once a week isn’t going to cut it. This is a big issue for many of us because our lives have become so busy, but we have to take some time, slow down and focus on our relationship with Christ. There are areas of our lives that will grow like a weed when we’re not looking. Before long, the entire garden is full of weeds. Sin creeps in quietly, spreads out and pretty soon we’re tangled up.
Spend some time focusing on verses 12-14 of chapter 3. Are those elements present in your life? Are you moving away from the list in verses 5-9? Our walk with Christ is only going to be strengthened as we walk with Him. Are you connecting with Him daily? Is there anyone walking with you to help hold you accountable to your walk? These are all things we need to constantly be checking in on. Stay connected to Christ and help those around you to do the same.