Rooted and Built Up

 

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.

—Colossians 2:6-7-

“Becoming a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ is not just a one-time experience.” Those words captured my attention as I listened to a radio interview with Major W. Ian Thomas (1914-2007), founder of the Torbearers. For a moment, I sat in my chair puzzling over these words.

I thought about the fact that at age nine I had gone forward during the invitation by an evangelist, Oral Bradford. Rev. Bradford had held a week of meetings at my home church. That particular evening, he had preached a powerful sermon describing what eternal punishment awaited those who refused to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. His description terrified me. I was literally frightened into the Kingdom of God.

I counted that experience as the moment when I received Christ as my Savior. But, I later came to realize that this event was not an ending for me. Rather, walking the main aisle of that church and kneeling at the altar rail was a beginning. Perhaps that is exactly what Major Thomas intended to convey.

In his marvelous book, The Saving Life of Christ, Major Thomas described the import of the Scripture verse written by the Apostle Paul that we find in Romans 5:10:

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

The reconciliation that takes place between God and us through the suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ is the beginning of a process whereby our reconciliation continues throughout the remainder of our lives until we graduate to eternity. As we surrender our sinful and selfish human wills and begin, more and more, to allow God’s divine will to prevail in our lives—said another way, as we become more and more like Jesus—our Savior begins to live His life in and through us.

This is exactly the same truth that the Apostle Paul shares in the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post. Having received the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives, we continue to live in Him. As a result, we become more and more rooted and built up in Christ. We become strengthened in our faith. And, we become overflowing with thankfulness.

Just as a grand tree in a verdant forest buries its roots deeper into the soil and extends its branches higher and higher into the air, so the process of becoming more like Jesus anchors us to the foundation of His mercy, grace, and love. And, it allows us to reach higher and higher in our quest to become sanctified, or to become holy.

As a result of following the pathway that God lays out in front of us, we become overwhelmed with thankfulness. Consequently, that spirit of thanksgiving flows out of us and touches the lives of everyone who crosses the pathway of our lives.

I encourage you to read Major Thomas’ book, The Saving Life of Christ. It will touch you deeply within the very core of your being.

 

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