In the book of Colossians 2:5 Paul expresses his delight in a characteristic the people possessed – orderliness. It’s a term that’s not typically used to characterize college-age people!

The verse reads:
“For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.” (NIV)

The word Paul uses for orderliness is the Greek word taxis. This term has a strict military tone to it. It speaks of structure, purposeful living, organization, and orderliness. Sound like college-age people?

Paul is “delighted” to see this virtue of orderliness in their life. Paul structures this sentence so that the term is uniquely linked to their stability in their faith. The orderliness of their life has played a significant role in their firmness of faith.

Have you talked to a college-age person lately that’s struggling with their faith? How might their lack of discipline/orderliness affect that? We might also take a deeper look into the role discipline plays in our faith – 1 Timothy 4:7-10. The inability of college-age people to link discipline to their faithfulness is a major concern we must all pay attention to.

How are you helping college-age people link discipline to faithfulness? they can’t lack discipline, and have godliness…