Scripture: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Observation: The next few days are about Paul’s next words on what continuing to live our lives in Christ looks like. For one thing, we will be “rooted and built up in Him.”
“Rooted” - Jesus is our foundation. He is the soil in which our faith and our life is planted. Plants grow healthy by getting the right nutrients from their environment. A rose, an orange tree, a lily pad, a cactus… All have differing needs from their environment, but all must be in the right environment to flourish. The image of rootedness speaks the sort of environment we need in order to flourish. To live as the reconciled and redeemed people of God means growing deep roots in the soil that is our living Lord Jesus.
“Built up” - Healthy things grow and flourish. Growing deeper and stronger roots in Christ serves the purpose of growing up. A tree’s root system is there to facilitate its growth above ground. So too, as our roots go deeper and stronger in Christ, we will be built up. We will expand and grow. Our maturity and desire for God’s wisdom will increase. Our heart for God’s mission and ministry will expand. When our roots go down, our lives are built up. When our lives are built up, we grow further into Christ’s character and calling for our lives.
Application: What practices grow your roots deeper in Jesus? How has the Holy Spirit given you a heart for some expression of God’s mission and ministry?
Prayer: Lord, deepen my roots and build up my life, for the sake of your glory and for the advance of your kingdom. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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Love this scripture lesson! My faith “fertilizer” - worshipping with my community of faith in church each Sunday and other times, enjoying our traditions in liturgy, music and scripture. Studying the Bible and scripture through Sunday sermon, my personal study, in other groups which “feed” me spiritually, online (Seeds if Faith), in person (The Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way), daily meditation and prayer which is both comforting and keeps me focused on my faith. These things keep me “rooted” in Christ and help me grow or “flourish” in seeking Him.