Eyes on Jesus: Finding Freedom by Looking Away from Sin

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” — Colossians 3:1–2 (ESV)

Have you ever noticed that the harder you try not to think about something, the more it takes over your mind? Temptation works the same way. When we're pulled toward a sin, our instinct is to fight it head-on — to stare it down, white-knuckle our resistance, and keep telling ourselves no. But all that staring keeps the temptation right in front of us, and the more we fixate on it, the stronger its pull grows. Eventually, most give in.

The better way isn't more willpower — it's a different direction for our eyes. The instant temptation hits, we stop staring at it and turn immediately to Jesus. Not fighting the sin in our own strength, but setting our minds on things above, where Christ is. The way out isn't to look harder at what we're fleeing; it's to look up — first and fast.

Whatever your pull is — lust, a drink, a substance, or a toxic person you keep circling back to — the moment it lands, every second you spend staring it down only drives the hook deeper. But the instant you turn your eyes to Christ, its grip begins to weaken.

Think of driving down a road. Fix your gaze on the right shoulder, and your car drifts that way — it's called target fixation. You steer toward whatever you stare at. Keep your eyes on the road, and you stay in your lane. Temptation is no different. The more we fixate on the sin we're fighting, the more we drift toward it. But when we fix our eyes on Christ, we move toward Him — and away from the pull.

Every temptation has a similar pattern. A mind set on the flesh keeps circling what it craves; a mind set on the Spirit finds life and peace (Romans 8:6). And it's not only peace we find there — it's power. On our own, willpower runs out; but the Spirit who lives in us supplies a strength to turn away that we could never manufacture ourselves (Galatians 5:16). So when the pull comes, don't negotiate with it or try to muscle through it — turn, right away, to Christ. Crowd out the temptation with Him: His presence, His promises, His worth. And when you do slip — because sometimes we will — the same rule holds. Don't sink into staring at the failure and beating yourself up; that only locks your eyes back on the sin. We don't have to atone for what Christ has already paid for. Grieve it, receive His grace, and look up again.

The fight for freedom isn't won by staring down the darkness but by turning toward the Light. So stop staring at the sin that's pulling at you. Fix your eyes on Jesus — and watch its grip loosen as you move toward Him.

Big Idea

You don't escape temptation by staring it down — that only tightens its grip. The instant it hits, turn to Christ and set your mind on things above, and the pull weakens as you move toward Him.

Questions to Ponder

Name the temptation that has the strongest grip on you right now — the pull you keep circling back to. When it hits, what's your instinctive reaction: do you fight it head-on? Do you feed it? Do you eventually give in to it? Or do you turn it over to Christ? Now look underneath it with two questions: (1) what's driving this temptation? What's stirring in your heart to fuel it? And (2) what is the temptation really promising you — comfort, escape, control, worth, or relief from a wound? Naming what it's offering and where that ache actually comes from is often the first crack in its power.

Application

With your journal in hand, build your escape route now, before the next pull comes — because in the moment you won't have time to figure it out. Take the temptation you named and, at the top of the page, write the fastest prayer you can pray when it hits: something as simple as “Jesus, I turn to You.” Below it, list what's “above” to fix your eyes on — who Christ is, what He has promised, and why He is worth more than what's enticing you — plus a few redirects you can reach for in seconds: a verse to pray, a person to text, a room to leave, or worship to put on. This is the drill: the instant the pull lands, don't negotiate or analyze — pray the prayer, reach for a redirect, and turn your eyes to Him. Practice it until turning becomes your reflex. And if you slip, don't spiral — the price is already paid. Grieve it, receive grace, and look up again.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.

Walking, Bearing, and Growing: Three Things for Our Spiritual Walk

"...so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." — Colossians 1:10 (ESV)

When we pray for the people we love, most of us pray for circumstances — health, provision, a door to open, a hard season to end. Paul prayed differently. Writing to a church he'd never met, he prayed not that their lives would get easier but that their walk with God would go deeper. In a single verse, he lays out three things he longed to see in them — three things worth longing for in us, too.

First, Paul prays that they'd walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him. That can sound heavy — like a bar we could never clear — but a worthy walk isn't about impressing God; it's about resembling Jesus. It's a life that begins to look like the One who loved, served, forgave, and trusted His Father completely. Not perfection — direction. The question isn't whether I've arrived; it's whether the day-to-day patterns of my life are bending, however slowly, toward Him.

Second, he prays that they'd bear fruit in every good work. Here's where I have to catch myself — because fruit isn't something I produce by trying harder. Jesus said it plainly: a branch can't bear fruit by itself; it has to stay connected to the vine (John 15:4). Fruit simply grows out of a life that stays close to God — people drawn to Christ, worship that spills over, generosity with our time and money, and a character that slowly turns holy. When I notice I've gone fruitless, the fix usually isn't more effort. It's getting back on the vine.

Third, he prays they'd keep growing in the knowledge of God. Not the kind of knowledge that puffs up — the kind that draws us closer. The goal was never information; it's intimacy. You can tell when it's happening: a growing hunger for His Word, a quicker yes to obedience, a faith that holds steady under weight, and a love for people that keeps widening. Those aren't badges to earn — they're the fingerprints of a God we're actually coming to know.

The order isn't accidental. We walk like Him, bear the fruit that grows from staying near Him, and come to know Him more — and each one feeds the others. This is what Paul longed for in a church he loved, and it's what God wants for you. Not a performance to keep up, but a life that keeps growing — worthy, fruitful, and rooted more deeply in Him with every passing year.

Big Idea

Walking worthy, bearing fruit, and growing in the knowledge of God are three strands of a life rooted in Christ. Stay connected to the Vine, and each strand grows — and feeds the others.

Questions to Ponder

As you sit with Paul's three-part prayer, which of the three does the Spirit seem to be underlining for you right now — the way you walk, the fruit of your life, or how well you actually know God? Where does your walk most resemble Jesus, and where does it still resist Him? When you think honestly about fruit, does it feel like something you've been straining to produce, or something growing naturally out of time spent close to Him? In reading today's devotional, can you sense the Lord surfacing something that needs your attention?

Application

With your journal in hand, read Colossians 1:10 slowly, then write the three strands down the page — walk, fruit, knowledge. Under each, build a short list rather than a single line — where you see growth, and where you've stalled or are struggling. Don't settle for the first thing that comes; let each strand pull more out of you. Then pick the one the Spirit keeps pressing on. If it's your walk, name one relationship or habit that needs to start looking more like Jesus — maybe someone you've withheld compassion from — and take a step toward them this week. If it's fruit, don't grit your teeth to produce more; name what's pulled you off the vine and get reconnected — time in the Word, in prayer, with His people. And if it's knowledge, set one simple rhythm for meeting God in Scripture this week, and keep it. Then close by thanking Him — because the same God who prompts growth is the One who grows it.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.

Let the Peace of Christ Rule: What It Means to Let Peace Be the Umpire

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." — Colossians 3:15 (ESV)

Out of this entire verse, the word "rule" is the one that stood out to me. It's a fascinating word when you study its meaning. In the original Greek, it conveys the idea of an umpire — someone who settles disputes and makes the final call. Paul isn't saying peace is merely a pleasant feeling. He's saying peace should be the deciding voice in your heart. When you're conflicted, anxious, or at odds with someone, let the peace of Christ make the call.

But what is this peace that's supposed to rule? It's more than just calmness. It's deeper and more profound. The peace of Christ is rooted in what He has already secured — our salvation, our standing before God, and the wholeness that comes from belonging to Him. It's the peace Jesus gave His disciples in the Upper Room before His departure. Isaiah calls Him the Prince of Peace. The Hebrew word shalom captures it best: wholeness, completeness, security, and contentment. This is the peace that surpasses all understanding — not because it ignores hard circumstances, but because it holds firm in the midst of them.

And that's the peace Paul says should rule our hearts and serve as the umpire over everything — our thoughts, our decisions, and our relationships. Let's park on that last one for a minute. Paul doesn't write this to individuals in isolation. When he says "in one body," he implies that our peace is meant to govern how we relate to one another. When tensions rise among believers, peace should have the final word. That doesn't mean you surrender your convictions or pretend that disagreements don't exist. It means you choose a course that honors the relationship and trusts God to be the judge.

Then Paul lands on two words that are easy to rush past: be thankful. That's not a throwaway ending. Gratitude is what keeps the umpire honest. When we are thankful — genuinely and consistently for what God has done and is doing — it becomes much harder for anxiety, bitterness, or conflict to take root. Thankfulness toward God produces compassion and grace toward others. It's what makes it possible to keep choosing peace — even when it's hard.

Big Idea

The peace of Christ isn't about comfort or calm — it's a deciding voice, an umpire. Let it make the final call in your heart, your mind, and your relationships.

Questions to Ponder

Did today's devotional change your understanding of the peace of Christ? How? Have you been treating peace as a feeling to chase rather than a voice to follow? If peace is the umpire, where in your life have you been ignoring the call — in your thought life, in a decision you're avoiding, or in a relationship that needs attention? What would it look like to let peace make the call instead of fear, pride, or control? And when it comes to gratitude — are you genuinely thankful for what God has done and is doing? If not, how might that be affecting the way you see and relate to the people around you?

Application

This week, pick one area where you've been ignoring the umpire — a thought pattern, a decision, or a relationship. Before you react, strategize, or avoid, stop and ask: if peace were making this decision instead of me, what would it decide? And if peace feels hard to hear, check your gratitude. Take five minutes with the Lord and thank Him — specifically and honestly — for what He has done and is doing. Gratitude has a way of quieting the noise so the umpire can make the call. Let peace decide. Then follow its lead.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.

The Other Son: What Happens When Your Orbit Shifts

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." — Colossians 1:17 (ESV)

When I think about my faith, I think about Jesus — God's Son. But there's another sun worth thinking about, too.

The Sun sits at the center of our solar system. Everything orbits around it. It generates enough energy to sustain all life on Earth, and its gravity holds the entire system in place. But here's what makes it remarkable: if Earth's orbit shifted by even a small margin, life as we know it would end. Move closer, and we burn. Move farther, and we freeze. The margin between thriving and destruction is thinner than most people realize.

That's not just astronomy. That's a picture of what life with Christ looks like.

Paul tells the Colossians that Christ is before all things and that in Him all things hold together. He's not describing a Jesus who plays a supporting role in your life. He's describing a gravitational center — the One everything else was designed to orbit around. When he's at the center, things hold. When He's not, they start to drift.

And drift is the danger because it's rarely dramatic. Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to abandon their faith. The orbit shifts gradually. A quiet time gets skipped, then another. A decision is made without consulting Him. A season of busyness pushes Him from the center. Christ isn't removed — He's just repositioned. And by the time you notice the temperature changing, you're further from center than you thought.

The Earth doesn't have to try to orbit the Sun. It was designed to. But we have a choice. Every day, we decide whether Christ remains at the center or gets pushed to the margins by something that feels more urgent. Career. Comfort. Control. None of those things are inherently wrong — but when any of them replaces Christ as the center of gravity, the orbit shifts, and everything downstream is affected.

Realignment doesn't require a dramatic overhaul. It requires an honest look at what's actually at the center — and the willingness to put the Son back where He belongs.

Big Idea

Christ isn't meant to be part of your life. He's meant to be the center of it — and even a small shift in that priority changes everything.

Questions to Ponder

If you're honest, what's currently at the center of your life — what is your life orbiting around? Is it Jesus, or has something else quietly taken that position? If the latter is the case, can you pinpoint when and why your orbit shifted? Were you aware of this shift, or did it occur without your noticing? What drove this shift?

Application

Take an honest inventory of what's at the center of your daily life. Not what you'd say on a Sunday morning — what's actually driving your decisions, time, and attention on a Tuesday afternoon. If Christ has been pushed to the margins, name what replaced Him. Then take one concrete step to realign: restart the quiet time you've been skipping, bring a decision to Him before you make it, or simply acknowledge His presence in a moment you'd normally power through alone. The orbit doesn't correct itself. You have to choose to move back toward the center.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.

From "if" to "since": The Gap Between Grace and Performance

"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard." — Colossians 1:21–23 (ESV)

Read that passage again and notice the word "if." At first glance, it sounds conditional — as if Paul is saying your standing before God depends on whether you keep your end of the bargain. If you stay faithful, you'll be presented holy and blameless. If you don't, all bets are off.

But consider the logic of the sentence. Paul has just declared what God has already done: reconciled you and presented you holy, blameless, and above reproach. That's accomplished work — past tense, finished. So when he writes "if indeed you continue in the faith," he's not introducing doubt about what he just established. Let's go deeper. The Greek word here for "if" is eige — "if indeed" — and it's paired with a verb form that assumes the condition is true. Therefore, Paul isn't questioning whether they'll continue in the faith. He's assuming they will. He's saying: since you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, your perseverance doesn't earn your standing before God — it confirms it.

That distinction matters — because most of us affirm grace in our theology but live by performance in our practice. We'd check the "salvation by grace" box on a statement of faith, then spend the week acting as though a missed quiet time or a repeated sin put us back at square one. That's "if" living.

"If" living says: I need to earn my way back. It treats every spiritual failure as a threat to your standing rather than as a normal part of sanctification. It turns the Christian life into maintenance — keeping God close through effort rather than resting in the closeness He has already secured.

"Since" living says something different. I'm already reconciled — and my faith, even on its weakest days, proves that God's work in me is real. It doesn't produce passivity. It produces freedom — to run to God after failure instead of running from Him, to obey out of gratitude rather than fear, and to see your steadfastness not as the price of admission but as the fruit of a God who holds you.

Jesus said it plainly: "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5, ESV). The fruit doesn't come from the branch straining to produce. It comes from staying connected.

Most of us know this theologically. The question is whether we live it.

Big Idea

The "if" in Colossians 1:23 isn't a condition to meet — it's a confidence to rest in. Most Christians affirm grace in their theology but live performatively in practice. "Since" closes that gap.

Questions to Ponder

Before today, how would you have read the "if" in Colossians 1:23 — as a condition you might fail, or as a confidence Paul is expressing on your behalf? Can you identify an area where you've been living on "if" terms — striving, doubting, performing — even though you'd affirm grace theologically? What would shift if you saw your faith not as something you maintain for God, but as evidence of what God is already doing in you?

Application

Pay attention to how you approach God — in prayer, in obedience, and in the moments when you fall short. Are you coming on "if" terms or "since" terms? Identify one area where you've been living on the "if" side — striving, performing, and doubting your standing — and bring it before the Lord with the truth of Colossians 1:23. The God who reconciled you is the same God who keeps you. Let "since" reshape how you walk with Him today.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.

Watchful Prayer: Praying With Your Eyes Open

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." — Colossians 4:2 (ESV)

This verse has always stood out to me. Continue steadfastly — be diligent. Be watchful. With thanksgiving. Three words that frame what prayer should look like.

Most of us treat prayer like a task — something we check off before the day begins. But Paul describes something different. He describes an ongoing conversation with God that doesn't end when you say amen.

Be diligent. Make it a habit to talk with God first thing in the morning and throughout the day. Lay out your schedule. Pray for wisdom. Lift up your spouse and kids, your students or coworkers. Pray to see where God is working and to have the courage to join in. Not a formula — a rhythm. Like an ongoing conversation with a close friend, except this friend holds the wisdom to keep your paths straight and your heart at peace.

Be watchful. Pay attention to what the Lord lays on your heart as you pray — even the things that seem to come out of nowhere. Maybe He convicts you of impatience, or brings someone to mind you weren't planning to think about. Then later that day, you find yourself in a situation that requires exactly what He stirred up that morning. That's watchful prayer. You prayed it before you needed it. The conversation began before the moment arrived. It doesn't always happen that way — sometimes the silence lingers — but the more you pay attention, the more you'll recognize that God has been preparing you all along.

Be thankful. When we express thanksgiving in prayer, something shifts. It resets our hearts and minds, placing Him at the center of our lives. Even in hard seasons, gratitude anchors us — not because the situation has changed, but because we're reminded that the One holding it hasn't.

Prayer is not a ritual to maintain — it's a relationship to foster.

Big Idea

Prayer isn't a box to check — it's an ongoing conversation with a God who is always listening and always at work. The more diligent, watchful, and thankful you are, the more you'll recognize His voice throughout your day.

Questions to Ponder

When was the last time something you prayed about in the morning showed up unexpectedly later that day? Do you tend to treat prayer more like a task to complete or a conversation to continue? What might change if you approached prayer expecting God to speak — not just listening to yourself talk?

Application

Before you pray this morning (or tomorrow morning), ask God one honest question — about a decision you're facing, a relationship that's weighing on you, or an area where you need wisdom. Then pay attention throughout the day. Notice what surfaces. The conversation doesn't end at amen.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.

Set Your Mind on Things Above: More Than a Morning Thought

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." — Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV)

Set your mind on things above. It sounds simple enough — until your day actually starts. Most of us can focus on Christ during quiet time or a worship service. But somewhere between the first email and the third interruption, our minds drift back to earth and stay there. So what does it actually look like to set your mind on things above — not just in a moment, but as a way of life?

It starts with focus. Setting your mind on things above is a daily, deliberate commitment to orient your thoughts toward Christ and His work. It means training your mind to notice where God is at work around you and to join in. It means filtering what you dwell on through what Paul calls "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure" — Philippians 4:8 (ESV). That doesn't happen by accident. It happens through practice — the same way any discipline shapes you over time.

But focus alone isn't enough. There's also priority — ensuring earthly concerns don't quietly take over. Paul gets specific in the same chapter, listing what belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, anger, slander and obscene talk. These aren't just "big sins" — they're the things that creep in and dominate our attention when we're not intentional. The question isn't whether earthly things will compete for your focus. They will. The question is whether you've decided in advance what takes priority.

Underlying both focus and priority is something deeper — identity. Paul doesn't start Colossians 3 with a command. He starts with a reality: "If then you have been raised with Christ." That's not an aspiration. That's a fact about who you are. You are someone who has been raised with Christ, freed from the bondage of sin, and made alive to walk in newness of life. Setting your mind on things above isn't about trying harder to think spiritual thoughts. It's about living as who you already are.

That's the part we forget. We treat "set your mind on things above" like a task on the to-do list — something we squeeze in between meetings. But Paul is saying something far more fundamental: you've been raised with Christ, so think like it. Live like it. Let that reality reshape what captures your attention, what you chase, and how you see yourself.

Big Idea

Setting your mind on things above isn't a morning exercise you complete before the day begins. It's a daily orientation of focus, priority, and identity — rooted not in effort but in the reality that you have already been raised with Christ.

Questions to Ponder

What captures your attention most throughout the day — and does it reflect where your identity truly lies? Do you have a quiet time in the morning but then forget about God once your day begins? Why do you think that is? What would it look like to carry the reality of Colossians 3:1 — that you've been raised with Christ — into your afternoon, not just your morning?

Application

This week, pick one part of your daily routine — your commute, your lunch break, or the first fifteen minutes after work — and dedicate it to refocusing on Christ. Not a full devotional, just a pause: read Colossians 3:1-2 and ask, "Am I living today as who I already am in Christ?" Let that one question become a habit that outlasts the week.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.

Obscene Talk: What Your Words Reveal

"But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth." — Colossians 3:8 (ESV)

Obscene talk? What's so bad about an occasional curse word? Is that what Paul's talking about? Never cursing?

In scripture, obscene talk isn't limited to profanity — it includes language that's abusive, shameful, degrading, or disgraceful.

The Bible regularly discusses the effects our words can have, both positive and negative, and how the words we speak reflect the condition of our hearts. That last point is essential — words reflect the condition of our hearts.

"As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man." — Proverbs 27:19 (ESV)

"But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person." — Matthew 15:18 (ESV)

Obscene talk is less about the words we speak than about the heart condition from which they flow. For the devoted Christian, obscene talk should be the exception, not the norm — and when it happens, it should serve as a warning that something deeper is brewing. When it does, pause and ask the Lord to search your heart for that deeper issue.

In my journey, I have found that when I speak obscenely, it is usually the result of a blocked goal aimed at self rather than at God. For instance, a goal may be to have peace, and when that peace is disrupted by life, my temper can grow short, and I start complaining with words that are less than Godly. The goal — peace — may be a good one, but when it becomes an idol and, when unmet, leads to ungodliness, it can become a bad thing.

See if you can relate to this example. Say you've worked a long day full of demands, disappointments, and disarray, and you return home with one goal — peace. But your wife has had an equally difficult day, the kids need to be fed, the laundry's piling up, the toilet's clogged, and the fridge is on the fritz. So you start tackling issues one by one, your frustration mounting, your temper rising — until the trash bag rips and gross trash spills all over the floor. Then it happens — @#$%^&! Obscene language erupts from your frustrated mouth!

This kind of experience is part of life. But our response shouldn't be to let frustration build until it explodes. When something is spiraling, the first step is to notice it — to name the blocked goal. The second step is to turn to the Lord with that frustration and ask for His help in becoming the man or woman He desires us to be, despite the situation.

"Lord, I am spent, and all I want to do is rest. I NEED REST! But I know you call me to be a man who leads my house, even when I am exhausted and have nothing left to give. I know that when I am this way, I am prone to a short temper and obscene talk. Lord, calm my heart, give me patience and energy to step into this chaos in a way that creates something good, and then give me the rest I need. Be with me, Lord, and help me love my family well despite my exhaustion."

Your mouth is a mirror — when the reflection turns ugly, the problem isn't the glass — it's the heart.

Big Idea

Obscene talk is less about the words themselves and more about the heart condition behind them. When frustration, exhaustion, or a blocked goal spills out of your mouth, it's a signal — not just to clean up your language but also to bring the deeper struggle to the Lord.

Questions to Ponder

How well do you control your tongue and resist obscene talk? When you do succumb to obscene talk, can you identify the blocked goal behind it? What would it look like to break that pattern and invite the Lord into your struggle in real time? What other forms of obscene talk are there besides curse words?

Application

This week, pay attention to the moments when your words turn sharp, impatient, or impure. When that happens — and it will — don't just apologize and move on. Pause and ask yourself: What goal just got blocked? What am I really frustrated about? Then do what you did with the prayer in today's devotional — take that specific frustration to the Lord and ask Him to meet you there. The goal isn't a perfect tongue. The goal is a heart that turns to God before the tongue takes over.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.

Walk Like Him: Live a Life That Reflects His Character

"So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." – Colossians 1:10 (ESV)

Verse 10 gives us a phrase worth pondering: "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord." But what does that really look like? Paul doesn't leave us guessing. In verses 10 through 12, he describes what a worthy walk produces — a life that is completely pleasing to God, fully fruitful in every good work (not just good words), growing in the knowledge of God, relying on His strength instead of our own, practicing endurance and patience with joy, and giving thanks in everything.

That's not a checklist — it's a portrait of a life being shaped by the Lord from the inside out.

But there's more to this word "walk" than meets the eye. Throughout Scripture, it's used to describe our daily journey as believers — and it influences every aspect of how we live. Walking in the newness of life (Romans 6:4). Walking without condemnation (Romans 8:1). Walking by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Walking in light, not darkness (1 John 1:6). Walking by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Walking in love, modeled after Christ's sacrificial love (Ephesians 5:2).

Each of these illustrates a different aspect of what it means to follow Christ — and together, they create a life that reflects His conduct and character.

The question isn't whether we're walking. We all are. The real question is: where is your walk leading you — and does it resemble Him?

Big Idea

Walking in a manner worthy of the Lord means living a life that reflects His conduct and character, honors Him, and attracts others to Him.

Questions to Ponder

How would you honestly describe your daily walk with the Lord right now? Does your walk reflect His conduct and character — or mostly your own? Why is that? Is there an area where your walk has drifted from what honors Him? Has God placed something specific on your heart that you need to explore further?

Application

Choose one of the "walks" from Scripture that resonated with you — whether it's walking by faith, walking in love, or walking in the light. Over the next few days, intentionally focus on that area. Each morning, ask the Lord to help you live it out in a specific situation that day. Pay close attention to where He guides you.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.