Verse of the day: Colossians
2:6-7 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the
Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established
in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
The two best words I can think of in describing the
Christian who is both rooted and built up in Christ is fruitful and strong.
However, we know that this is a process that does not happen overnight, and one
that can be hindered if we are not vigilant. For the born again Christian, the
foundation of our faith begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ;
and the only way that we can have a relationship with Him is by faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that it is by grace, and not our works; for this
reason there will be not one of us who will be able to boast before God, because
it was by His grace that we were saved. Titus 3:5 tells us that it was not by
our righteous works, but by His mercy, that we are saved. What a marvelous gift
we have been given by our Heavenly Father, in His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that because we have received Him, we must now walk
in Him. This admonition came because there were many Jewish teachers, and
teachers of philosophy who were trying to corrupt biblical teachings with their
philosophies, vain deceits, and worldly traditions of men (v. 8). The Apostle
used the metaphors related to the growth of a tree and the increase of a
building to describe what a Christian who is walking with Jesus looks like. A
tree that produces much fruit and is firmly grounded so that it can withstand
great storms is one whose roots have grown and are buried deep into the ground.
It draws much water and nutrients that help it grow as its roots go deeper. The
deeper the roots goes, the more solidly anchored it is, thereby allowing it to stand
strong and tall, even when the winds cause it to sway to and fro. The term “established
in faith” that he uses in verse 7 is a term used to signify a firm foundation.
The taller you want to build up a building, the stronger and well anchor the
foundation must be. What he is saying is that we must have our roots deep into
our relationship with the Lord and His Word; and this must be the foundation of
our walk with Him. In John 15, Jesus tells us that He is the True Vine, and
without Him we cannot bear fruit. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, by faith,
we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16). It is the Spirit working in us,
to make us more like Jesus, that produces His fruit in our lives (Gal 5:22), so
that we not only see an internal change, but others also see an outward change.
Too many Christians have allowed teachers of philosophy, filled with worldly
wisdom, to come along and lead them astray with their fancy reasoning and
eloquent speech. The result has been a mixing of Christian principles with
traditions of men, and non-Christian worldviews that have caused some to
shipwreck their faith and walk further away from Christ, rather than walking
closer to Him. The bottom line is that our walk with Jesus is first grounded in
the faith we put in Him for eternal life, and then followed up by our diligence
in learning and applying God’s Word to our lives (Jm 1:22), walking in
obedience to the Scriptures (Jn 14:15), and walking in love toward Jesus and
one another (Jn 13:34-35). In life, we will experience many things, both good
and bad. How we respond to life will be determined by how closely we walk with
Jesus. If we are rooted and established in Him, no matter what God allows in
our life, we will be able to stand firm and not waver in our faith. We must be
able to live this life always being thankful for the life we have been given in
Christ, because when it is all said and done, regardless of what we go through,
here and now, in the end, we know He is with us (Heb 13:5-6), and we will be
with Him forevermore (1 The 4:17).
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