6 August 2018

Colossians 2
Psalm 85

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

I can recall the years of my life when I received Christ Jesus as Lord. It wasn’t an instantaneous decision or a smooth process; it was more like a wrestling match. Jesus, through His word and the work of the Holy Spirit, took hold of me and gripped me tight. But there were times I tried to break free, to abandon the gift of grace that had been given to me. Eventually the wrestling stopped and I settled in my faith and gloried in God’s grace to me. But little did I know that another wrestling match was close at hand. I entered the world of young missionaries who, like me, wanted to work out this salvation discovered in Christ. It was in this working out salvation in Christ that many (me included), unknowingly began to drift away from the moorings of the one whom they had received at first, Christ Jesus their Lord.

It was the lure of something more spiritual, radical and rooted in what we could do rather than what Christ had done. Jesus, who at first was everything, was now not enough. The pursuit of Jesus and resting in Him and His word alone was replaced by seeking of new words of revelation, experiences and the leading of Christian gurus. My experience is not so different from the journey of every Christian. There is a time when knowingly or unknowingly, we begin to think that we need something more than Jesus. Colossians is the remedy for this temptation. It’s the message that Jesus is enough, more than enough! Which is why we are commanded to continue in Christ, just as we received Him. The Christian life begins and continues and ends in Christ.

In Christ we are to be rooted and built up, never drifting by moving to anything other than Christ. Like a tree that cannot survive without being rooted or a building stand without having a foundation, we are to remain in Christ and with Christ. The way we do this is simple! Remember how you received Jesus? Well, continue in this way: faith in Him, through His word. As we dwell on His word our roots will grow and we will be built up in our faith. The Colossian church was in danger of drifting from God’s word to deceivers and gurus. They were tempted to replace Christ and His work with mystical experiences and works of religion. But we must always remember that Christ and His word are enough, more than enough. Only then will we be rooted and built up in Him, and overflow with thankfulness in Him.

Jesus, thank You for the salvation we have in You and forgive us for so easily drifting away from You. Deepen us and root us in Your amazing grace. Help us to keep You close and find our rest in You alone. Glory to God, through you forever, Amen.