Pass It On

To them (the saints) God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:27

My middle grandson is captain of his basketball team at Abilene Christian this year. In the summer Cade was sent to a Christian basketball camp for leadership in Ohio. One of the fun drills I saw on Facebook was to distinguish between famous sayings by NBA greats and Bible quotes. For Cade: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Not only did he know it was Galatians 6:9, but the reference was written on his shoe!

I have been at Cade’s games and watched the young boys hovering near the bench after the game, hoping for a high-five from him. Can you not imagine one of those kids spotting the writing on Cade’s shoe and asking his dad what it means?

We who know Jesus are tasked to pass on that profound mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory. We need to be ready: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

It starts with our lifestyle, what those watching us can see, the words we use, the emotions we show, the way we live life. It may sound a little holier than thou, but it is what Peter had to say to the elect of his time: Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do (1 Peter 1:15). To be holy means to be set apart to God and His ways*. And His Word is rife with all His how-tos.

You may not want to write Galatians 6:9 on your shoe like my grandson, but you can write God’s ways on your heart and show others you are a letter from Christ…written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God (2 Corinthians 3:3).

Nancy P

*Lexical Aids to the New Testament, Zodhiates, World Bible Publishers, p.879

All Scripture quotations are from the NIV Translation 1973, 1978,