Alive!

Being alive isn’t just about breathing—it’s about the freedom and fullness we find when Jesus forgives us and makes us alive with Him.

“When you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us.”—Colossians 2:13–14 NASB

We might be breathing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we have spiritual life. Paul wanted the Colossians to understand what it really means to have life.

We face pressures. We can be fooled into thinking worldly pleasures and rewards bring fulfillment and meaning. We can be taken “captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with the elementary principles of the world” (Colossians 2:8). The world promises popular and inviting answers, satisfaction, and ideas.

But we can only be complete in Jesus. Without Him, we’re spiritually dead and don’t even know what it means to be free or alive.

Everything changes when we trust our lives to Christ. When we confess our sins and ask Jesus to be our Savior, He wipes out our sins, takes our burdens, and cancels our debts! He makes us “alive together with Him.”

We experience this life by walking in Christ, remaining “firmly rooted” in Him, and being “built up in Him and established in [our] faith” (v. 7). This means following the truths we’ve been taught, confessing His Word, knowing His promises, and seeking a more intimate relationship with Him.

Don’t be deceived or distracted. Don’t allow anything to keep you from real freedom. Christ has made you alive, and because of Him, you can thrive!

Reflection Question: What’s one way you’re living differently now that you’re alive in Christ?