Monday, November 3, 2014

Growing Roots

I read Colossians 2:6-7 a couple weeks ago and I cannot get it out of my head.  I ended up writing it down because I knew God wanted me to memorize this verse.  I wanted to share this with y'all:

Colossians 2:6-7 
NIV:  "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

NLT:  "And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus 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."

Sometimes it is so easy to read something in the Bible and just quickly brush over it and not really dissect the verse.  I wanted to take the time to really understand these verses and apply it to my life.  I looked up the definitions to some of the 'churchy' words in these verses:

Rooted:  Adjective:  having roots, firmly planted.

Strengthened: Verb: to make stronger, give strength to.

Overflowing: Verb: to flow or run over, to be filled with.

I live in Oklahoma and in my neighborhood, there are not many large trees.  You see, we get some pretty intense storms in Oklahoma and the wind can be severe at times.  The trees continue to get damaged by the storms so my neighbors have to plant new ones frequently.  The new trees are not given enough time to grow the appropriate roots necessary to sustain itself when the storms hit so this cycle continues.  Our lives are the exact same.  We need to grow our roots in Jesus Christ so that when the storms of life hit, we can stand firm!  

Growing roots takes time, it does not happen overnight. We all know this but are we doing what is necessary in order to help our roots grow?  How do we become "rooted and built up in him?"  I believe it is a process that takes time and effort from us.  God is always there, He always will be and He wants us to cultivate a personal relationship with Him.  Spending time in the Bible is the number one way to allow your roots to grow.   Attending church as well as joining a LifeGroup or Bibe Study are fabulous ways to help your roots grow farther into the rich soil of God.  Spending one on one time with God is where its at!  

Here are some of the ways I have found the most spiritual growth:
Dissecting Gods Word one verse at a time
Writing verses out in my journal
Speaking Gods Word out loud 
Memorizing verses
Listening to worship music alone while journaling
Reading Bible study books on topics I am struggling with

My friend, our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking for someone to devour (I Peter 5:8).  Satan wants nothing more than to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10).  We are all going to face many storms during our lifetime.  Adultery, divorce, suicide, depression, bankruptcy, illness and death are all around us.  We all know someone going through one of these at this exact moment!  

When our lives are rooted in God, we will survive the storms of life so much stronger.  We live in a fallen, sinful world so bad things are going to happen.  I have been through some very challenging experiences and I can honestly say that it was because of my relationship with God that I was able to get through those experiences without defeat or ruin.  I am overflowing with thankfulness that God brought me through so many challenging seasons of life with grace and freedom!  

Don't live your life like a tree in my neighborhood.   Commit to being a well planted tree with roots that run miles deep! Don't let the storms keep knocking you down, open your Bible today, it doesn't matter if its only 5 minutes!  










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