10,000 Hours

July 27, 2025 homily on Colossians 2:1-10 by Pastor Galen

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. – Colossians 2:6-7

10,000 Hours

In his book, Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea, drawing from research, that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to achieve mastery in any field. In other words, becoming an accomplished musician, for example, is less about natural talent and more about dedicating hours upon hours to focused, goal-oriented, and strategic practice. This idea suggests that with enough focused effort, anyone can achieve a high level of expertise, regardless of initial aptitude. 

While the idea of 10,000 hours is not a universally accepted rule, and some experts have critiqued it for oversimplifying the complexities of skill acquisition, the point remains that if you want to become an expert in something, you have to put in a lot of focused effort. (I would guess that our wonderfully gifted musician, Maria, has devoted well more than 10,000 hours of her life to playing the piano!)

I, on the other hand, am more of a dabbler when it comes to playing musical instruments. Guitar is my main instrument. I took lessons for quite a few years when I was growing up, and I did spend a lot of time practicing. But I also found that I enjoyed learning other instruments, and along the way I’ve tinkered around with the dulcimer, mandolin, ukulele, and various percussion instruments. I’ve certainly never spent 10,000 hours of focused, dedicated practice on any one of those instruments, which is why I’m more of a “Jack of all trades, master of none” when it comes to musical instruments.

Dabbling in Spirituality

Now, there’s nothing wrong with dabbling when it comes to learning musical instruments or other hobbies. But in their letter to the Colossians, Paul and Timothy had a strong word of caution for the Christians in Colossae when it came to dabbling in various forms of spirituality. They wrote to the Colossians, “Watch out that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental principles of the world” (Col. 2:8). And they encouraged the Colossians to “continue to walk in [Christ], rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught…” (Col. 2:6). They wrote in verse 3  that “ in [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3), and in verse 9 that “in [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority” (Col 2:9).

Spirituality in a Pluralistic Society

Now, why did Paul and Timothy encourage the Colossians to be on guard that no one took them “captive through philosophy and empty deceit” and to be rooted and established in Christ? Well, there were at least 2 reasons.

1. The Colossians lived in what we might call a “pluralistic society,” where a large number of religions and philosophies were widely practiced and accepted.  Colossae was a melting pot of cultures, including Greeks, Jews, and native Phrygians. The city’s location on a major trade route exposed it to a variety of ideas and customs. Historical records indicate the presence of a large number of Jewish families who had settled in the region about 200 years prior, intermingling with the existing population and contributing to the religious landscape. Evidently, some Christians in Colossae had integrated elements of mystical Judaism, including practices like Sabbath observance, festivals, and new moon celebrations into their Christian faith, and no doubt some had blended pagan philosophies and practices, such as the veneration of angels and fear of evil spirits, with Christian teachings.

The tendency and temptation to dabble in all sorts of spiritualities — to mix and match and piece things together — was certainly present for the Colossians. And it’s present in our pluralistic society today as well. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to interview young adults about their spiritual beliefs, and I remember one young man saying that he sort of invented his own spirituality, pulling things from here and there. “It doesn’t really have a name, or anything,” he said, but it was his own beliefs. As a college campus minister, I met all sorts of students like him. But it’s not just young people who have the tendency to do that. Even older folks have the tendency to mix and match, sometimes mixing together religious and political worldviews in unhealthy ways, such as looking to a politician to be our savior, rather than trusting in Jesus alone. 

2. There are a lot of reasons why the dabbling approach to religion and spirituality is dangerous and unhealthy. One reason that Paul and Timothy allude to here is that if we are constantly dabbling and mixing together various things, then we will fail to be rooted and grounded in Christ. If we’re constantly chasing after the latest religious fad, or if we’re always restlessly looking for something new and different for fear that we might be missing out, then we will fail to become proficient in our faith. We’ll fail to grow in Christlikeness. If we don’t stay grounded in Christ, and plant deep roots in him, then we’ll never grow into the purpose for which we were created. We’ll never bear the fruit that we were intended to grow.

Several years ago when our family was living in Southwest Baltimore, I decided that I wanted to take up gardening. The problem was that I didn’t take the time to really prepare the ground well. I didn’t loosen up enough of the soil or did down far enough to really plant the seeds. I tried growing carrots (which of course grow down into the soil!) but the soil was way too impacted to allow them to grow. I even tried planting corn, which did sprout up at first, but the soil was just way too hard and earns of corn never did grow on the stalks.

The point is that if we want to bear fruit — if we want to do the work that God has called us to do — then we have to plant deep roots. And we can’t do that if we’re constantly chasing after the latest fads or philosophies, or if we’re constantly trying to mix and match and piece things together. If we want to grow to be more like Christ, then we need to be rooted and grounded in Him.

The good news is that we don’t have to be afraid that we’re missing out, because, as Paul and Timothy point out, “in [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3), and “ in [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9). Not only that, but Paul and Timothy tell the Colossians “you have come to fullness in [Christ]” (Col. 2:10). And this is true for us as well. In Christ, we are made complete! And in Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So if we have Jesus, that is all we need! No greater wisdom can be found anywhere else in the universe than in Christ! We could spend our whole lives focusing on Jesus and learning about him, and we would not be missing out. Because the fullness of God’s nature is embodied in Christ, and in Christ we are made complete.

Does this mean that there is no wisdom to be found in other religions or worldviews? No. There is a lot that we as Christians can learn from people of other religions and worldviews, and we should not be so proud as to think that we have 100% of the truth and wisdom, and they have none. Truth can be found in a lot of different places, and in a lot of different ways. I believe that if we are truly seeking truth we will eventually find it — I just believe that the truth will always look like Jesus. 

For example, there used to be this idea in the business world that bosses should be harsh and domineering — that the way to get people to do what you want them to do is to make them fear you.

But over the past half-century, there’s been this emerging idea in the business world that a better model is what is called “servant leadership.” It’s a philosophy where leaders prioritize the needs of their team members and focus on their growth and well-being, rather than solely focusing on their own authority or organizational goals. It emphasizes service, empowerment, and creating a positive, supportive environment. 

And guess what? That sounds a lot like Christ doesn’t it? It sounds a lot like the leadership he taught and modeled when he bent down to wash the feet of his disciples and told them to wash each other’s feet. Servant leadership is not an explicitly “Christian” concept, and yet it looks a lot like Jesus.

My belief is that if we were to try to look for the very best in every religion, we would find that it would point us right back to Christ. What this means, then, is that we can engage with people of other religious worldviews or even of no religious worldviews and look for common ground. But we do this, not out of a fear that we are missing out on something, but because God loves each and every person in this world, and we as Christ’s followers are called to do the same.

Rooted and Established in Christ

To sum this all up — if we want to flourish in our spiritual lives, if we want to bear fruit that will last, then we must be rooted and established in Christ. This means spending time with Jesus, praying and listening to Jesus, studying our Bibles to get to know Jesus. We can’t grow deeper if we’re constantly dabbling or searching for truth in other places. We must grow deep roots if we want to bear good fruit.

Some of us may worry that it’s too late for us. Maybe we feel like we’ve wasted too much time. We fear we’ve spent too many years looking for joy or satisfaction in all the wrong places and that we’ll never become “proficient” or “experts” in the faith because we don’t have 10,000 hours to devote. So what’s the point in trying?

But the good news is that it’s never too late. We can start right now, right where we are. And we can start small. Even if you can’t find an hour a day to study the Bible, start with 5 minutes a day reading a short devotional and saying a prayer. Turn off the TV, close out your social media apps on your phone, and just sit in silence for a few minutes. Then look for a few minutes here and there throughout the day when you can talk with God. Pray before meals, and before you go to bed. Remember that Jesus is with us when we go to work and school, when we’re at home and when we go to the store. And we can talk to God anywhere, not just when we’re here at church.

The good news is that even if we’ve started later on in life, we will have all eternity to get to know Jesus and to become like him. As the last verse of Amazing Grace says,

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

bright shining as the sun,

we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

than when we first begun.

Conclusion

So may we look to Jesus alone for our salvation. May we remember that in Christ are hidden all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and in Christ the fullness of God is embodied. May we be rooted and established in him, that through Christ we may bear much fruit.

Amen!

Questions for Personal Reflection in Response to Today’s Sermon:

1. Where are you tempted to look for fullness, peace, or meaning outside of Christ?
2. How might you begin investing time toward becoming spiritually “proficient” in Christ? What spiritual habits could you build into your daily or weekly routine, even in small ways?
3. How do you engage with people of other faiths or worldviews—with fear, curiosity, defensiveness, or respect? Can you think of a time when someone outside the Christian tradition taught you something that pointed you back to Christ?
4. What kind of spiritual fruit would you like your life to bear? What roots need to be strengthened in your life so that kind of fruit can grow?
5. Do you carry regret over “lost time” in your spiritual life? How does the promise of eternity—“when we’ve been there ten thousand years”—shape your perspective on spiritual growth today?