ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN CHRIST

 

What in life keeps you stable or "rooted"? Is is title or position? Is it money? Is it the desire to be known? Is it compliments and praise from others? There has to be something stable and enduring to be "grounded" to. All the things I just mentioned are fleeting. The one true thing that is in fact firm, is to be "rooted and grounded" in Christ. His love never fails. He endures forever.

Ephesians 3:17-18( NIV) says 'that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height.' In Colossians 2:7-8( NLT) it says 'Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done. Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ.'

So when you are "rooted and grounded" in Christ you have firm strong spiritual "roots" that should be able to withstand the trials and storms of life that come your way. Once tho spiritual roots take hold and ground you firmly in Him you should in fact be able to withstand the attacks from the enemy.

PRAYER: I thank you Lord or helping keep me firmly planted and rooted in the word. When Satan tries to distract me with busyness especially during this Christmas season I will resist with your help and charge on keeping you first place each and every day. In Jesus' name. Amen.

DEEP ROOTS

 Do you have plants in your yard or are there some trees? Most of us have these things unless we are apartment dwellers. These plants and trees, like all living things grown in the soil, need substantial roots going down deep to help them grow and get nourishment and water. If they do not receive it they tend to wilt and die. We in the Southeast experienced that during the recent drought.

We believers are like those plants in that if we do not stay grounded in Christ and his word our roots become shallow and we can tend to wither up and not amount to much in the body of Christ.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 says "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its' roots by the stream.It does not fear when heat comes, it's leaves are always green. It has no  worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

 Let your roots go down deep in Jesus and His word. Be able to withstand the 'storms' of life that may come your way. When you 'plant' yourself in Him you will stand strong against those storms of life.
Colossians 2:6-7 says "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."

Let me end with Ephesians 3:16-19 which tells us "that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwelling our hearts through faith that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the  love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

PRAYER: Father it is my desire to have strong roots and to be able to endure any situation which comes my way. I know when I stay in the word of God I gain strength and can stand up to the trials of life. Give me strength Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.