Building a Foundation Part 3- Further Up & Further In

"19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in you mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight- 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven...." ~ Colossians 1:19-23


How is it we go from "alienated and enemies" to being "holy, blameless, and above reproach in His sight"? That transformation occurs, not by any act or good work we could do or have done, but completely and utterly by the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! The blood He shed on the cross was sufficient to reconcile us to God. By no other means is our salvation possible. This very fact, once realized and believed in, will produce in us a desire to continue with Christ in the faith; becoming more and more the image of Christ. This process is called sanctification, a word I rarely hear talked about much anymore. That's what I believe Paul is talking about in verse 23. We are to "continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast and are not [to move] away from the hope of the gospel..." The life we live, once we believe on Jesus Christ, is to be an active one; ever-moving further up into the image of Christ, and further into the Word. If this is not true in our lives, we run the risk of ending up like the the Laodiceans (Revelation 2:14-16). This is also what James is talking about in  chapter 2:17, "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." The work that we do in this life is not what reconciles us to God, but it testifies to the transformation Christ has worked in us.
So then, how are we testifying to those around us that Christ has given us a new heart, covered us in His blood, and secured our place with the Father for all eternity? For each of us, this looks different in how Christ's love for us manifests itself in our lives, but I think we should be able to agree, we all need to be sharing the Gospel, showing the Gospel and teaching the Gospel by our actions, attitude and words on a daily basis.
So then, this should lead us to pray:

Father, hallowed be Your Name in all the earth, by no other Name can we be saved.  Thank You for the work You completed on the cross. I ask for opportunities to share the Good News with those around me, and when those opportunities arise, I ask for the courage to proclaim Your Name confidently. Put me in situations where I may give God-centered advice and show God motivated love. I trust in You and look to You for guidance in all things, in Jesus Christ's Name; Amen.