Dying to Live: The Call of Colossians 3

“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” – Colossians 3:3

What does it really mean to say, “You died”?

For Paul, this is a spiritual reality. When you became a Christian, the old you was crucified with Christ. That means your identity is no longer rooted in your achievements, your failures, or what anyone else thinks about you. Your life is hidden with Christ in God.

That phrase carries two deep truths: security and surrender.

Security means your past no longer defines you. You are no longer at the mercy of public opinion. You are wrapped in the righteousness of Jesus, covered by His grace, and anchored in His reign. This is the promise of the gospel: your life is safe in Christ. No storm, failure, or attack can remove you from His hands.

Surrender means your life isn’t yours anymore. You don’t get to call the shots. You’re not the author of your story or the lead actor on your stage. Jesus is. And when that becomes real, everything changes. Your decisions change. Your ambitions change. Even what makes you tired, or what you’re willing to sacrifice, changes.

The truth is, churches often stall when Christians try to live half-dead. We want the Kingdom, but we don’t want the cross. We want the life, but we don’t want the death. We want to serve, but only when it’s convenient. We want to grow, but only if it doesn’t require sacrifice.

So we settle. We coast. We wait. And slowly, the fire fades.

We become restless. Apathetic. Critical. Not because the gospel isn’t powerful, but because we’re trying to resurrect the very self we were supposed to bury.

So here’s the call: Stop waiting for life to settle… start dying to self.

You may be thinking: I’ll serve when I’m less busy… I’ll lead when my kids are older… I’ll give when things feel more stable… But death to self doesn’t wait. The cross never accommodates our schedules. And the Kingdom doesn’t advance on convenience.

“You died.” That means your life is now about Christ; His mission, His people, His reign.

The answer to spiritual slumps and church fatigue isn’t more programming. It isn’t more effort. It’s deeper surrender.

We don’t need more activity. We need more disciples who have truly died to self and died to comfort. Died to control. Died to waiting for “just the right time.” And here’s the hope: Paul doesn’t leave us in the grave as he opens this part of his letter. The gospel never stops at death; it always moves forward to glory.

If you’ve died with Christ, you will also live with Him. Not a better version of your old life, but a new life. Hidden in Christ. Sustained by Christ. And destined for glory with Christ.

Let’s stop spectating and start surrendering. Because when we do, everything changes.