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| “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.” |
| —Colossians 2:6-7 |
No doubt you’ve heard some schoolteacher explain that whenever those on board a ship see an iceberg, they may not always realize that only a relatively small portion of the iceberg is showing above the water line. An enormous bulk of the iceberg lies beneath the surface. The invisible mass supports the visible mass.
When architects design very tall buildings, they have to consider the foundation of the building. Will the designed foundation support the mass of the building? Will it keep the building plumb and level?
When engineers design a tall tower for a radio or television station, they must consider whether the foundation and other components of the support system—such as guy wires—that provide stability for that tower will bear the weight of the tower and also sustain the tower upright when subjected to the forces of the wind.
In building a foundation, an engineer has to consider a number of factors. What load must the foundation support? Upon what kind of soil will the foundation rest? Will an earthquake affect the foundation? What about a flood?
In our spiritual lives, it becomes very important to consider into what kind of foundation we will place the roots of our faith. And, not only our “faith roots,” but what nourishment will cause our faith to grow—to be built up?
In writing to those “Christ’s-ones” who had gathered in the church at Colosse, the Apostle Paul gave them some very wise advice when he wrote these words recorded in Colossians 2:6-7:
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.
Once the Holy Spirit makes us aware of the great love that God has poured out upon us and the provision He has made for our salvation through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, we can glory in this new-found understanding and joyfully acknowledge what God has done for us. Yet, we need not stay at this point of beginning. We can put our spiritual roots down into the rich soil of God’s Word—both in the Bible and in Jesus Himself.
Not only can we allow our roots to grow deeply into this fertile ground, we can become nourished through God’s Word and begin to grow stronger and more secure in our faith. As we grow, we will find ourselves overflowing with God’s mercy, grace, and love. This will produce a profound thankfulness within us.
That blessed thankfulness will so spill out of our lives that it will begin to touch the lives of people God draws into our sphere of influence. Our thankfulness will become a useful tool for the Holy Spirit to reveal the supreme goodness of God to others whom He has chosen to belong to Himself.
May God grant us, at the beginning of this new day, a keen awareness of how amazingly He is at work in our own lives. May we do our part to feast on His Word. And, may our overwhelming thankfulness become a beacon of hope to the people around us.
