Out of the Box Disciples

We live life in boxes. Some of our life boxes we create ourselves and choose to live within. Boxes of fear, pride and anger along with assorted other personalized boxes. We also live in boxes that are created for us by our gender, race or socio-economic class among others. Living in a box limits us, blinds us, separates us and ultimately robs us of true life. What are some of the boxes you find yourself struggling to free yourself? What part can a group of "knit together believers strongly bonded by love" play in the process?

Drift

We were warned today, from our passage in Colossians, about the dangers of drifting spiritually. We all understand the concept of drift in a nautical sense. The ship's sails are down, the boat's oars are out of the water and the vessel's anchor is firmly aboard. The boat is drifting. Do you ever find yourself in a similar place in your spiritual journey? Do you ever sense that you have drifted further and further away from God? What have you done to arrest that drift? What has God taught you about spiritual drift in your life?

Our True Center

Webster describes center in its verb form as: "to position something in the middle or to cause something to have its focus be concentrated in a particular place or on a particular thing." The Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Colosse in the first century, argues that Christ ought to be the center of our existence. Another way of thinking about center may be to consider in our lives who or what takes priority. What does it mean to you to have Christ at the center of your life? Where is He in the priorities of your life? What other things battle for the preeminent place in your life?