Rooted
Pondering Colossians 2:6-10
And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.—Colossians 2:6-10, NLT
Placing our faith in Christ is a great beginning, but it is only a beginning. We continue, press on, overcome discouragements, and keep growing. I love the idea of letting our roots grow down into him.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream…—Jeremiah 17:7-8a
Being rooted deeply in Christ is an important theme here, for there are those who would uproot the Colossians (and us) with their unbelief. Paul characterizes it as empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking. These are not just wrong because they are different. They are not challenging because they open our eyes to new truths. They are wrong because they lead us away from the source of life: Jesus Christ. Notice the descriptive terms of the firmly rooted life:
LORD. Jesus is Lord - we have submitted our lives to Him, and we follow him.
BUILT. Everything about our lives is built on the roots we have grown into Christ. If you remove Him, our lives would be ruined.
STRONG. Strong faith is founded in truth, not just any philosophy that sounds good. The problem with unbelief is that it always leads to emptiness. The strength of faith is found in a risen Savior.
THANKFULNESS. The more we contemplate and learn from Christ, the more gratitude begins to be the key to our lives. Paul says we will “overflow” with thankfulness. If we begin to contemplate the blessings of following Christ, we will experience what the Psalmist says. “My cup runs over!”
COMPLETE. When we have faith in Christ, we do not need anything to supplement that faith. We are complete in our union with him.
OVER. Christ is over every ruler and authority. The Amplified Bible clarifies, “And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power].” There is no power on earth that is over Christ. Even when we cannot see His rule, He is there, sovereign, watchful, and acting to benefit His kingdom.
This is why it is so important for us to continue to grow in faith, to be rooted in faithfulness, and to find our strength in Jesus Christ.
Note: I know many were dealing with severe winter weather this week. Prayers for your recovery and safety. Watch for two more devotionals this week, on Wednesday and Friday. Stay warm, friends.
One of my favorite passages of scripture...