Tree Roots and Buildings.
Colossians 2:6
“Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
The book of Colossians is one of four letters written by the apostle Paul while he was being held in prison (due to his preaching of the gospel against the will of the ruling government system at the time). Historians believe that the church at Colossae was experiencing spiritual attack and a lot of heresy against the values and beliefs established by Jesus. The letter of Colossians was intended to be an encouragement to the church at Colossae; a reminder to continue seeking the Kingdom of God and fighting the good fight, even while facing extreme adversity.
I think it is often easy to find ourselves in situations somewhat similar to those that the church of Colossae faced. We may have already decided to follow Jesus, placing Him at the forefront of our lives, but suddenly we find ourselves wanting to go back to our old ways of life; relying on what we want. In Colossians 2:6, Paul reminds the church of Colossae, and everyone who is struggling to stay strong in their faith, that just as we originally received Christ, it is so vital to keep walking and rooting and building ourselves in Him.
Two different pictures come to mind when I read Colossians 2:6 - A well established tree ( just like in Psalm 1) and a strong and industrious building. For trees, roots … 1)provide VERY long lifespans, 2) prevent erosion, 3) gather life-giving nutrients, 4) are the first part of the tree to grow; they are fundamental and must come before the foliage and 5) are the anchors for the tree. Just like tree roots, our faith needs deep and strong roots in Christ so that we can live out the fullness of our callings, weather storms, not give way in the face of temptation, draw in rich wisdom, knowledge and reassurance from our faith, and most importantly be anchored in Christ. Only after a secure root system is established, does the foliage begin to thrive. True character and faith ( the health of a person's “root system”) is best seen under trial; this is also where we grow the most. See James 1:4 and Galatians 6:9
Similar to tree’s roots, buildings are built with a foundation first (often underground). After the structural components come the refining aspects. Then come the decorative and finishing touches which make a building/house hospitable. Just like you cannot put a band-aid on an open wound, you cannot just repaint and decorate a shack to make it into a home. Being built up in Christ requires structural and fundamental changes to the landscaping and framework of our hearts. It’s so cool to realize and embrace the reality that God is the builder, farmer, artist, musician ‘etc’... of our lives and our hearts. When we are being built up in Christ, we are allowing and seeking God to work on us where we need renovation. It’s so sweet that we can come to God with our cracks and holes and He gladly welcomes us and is delighted to work on us.
I so encourage you to be still for a minute and rest in knowing that you do not need to fix yourself enough to come to God. As humans, we can never do enough to be single-handedly worthy of God. It is relieving and life-giving to place your brokenness in the only One who can hold you and repair you for the adventure of life. God longs for a relationship with us. Deuteronomy 4:24 says “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” The jealousy God has is often described as a deep and profound longing for us; His jealousy is not in terms of human desire or want, but is a holy yearning for us to know His heart and rest in Him. Let yourself be repaired and built up in Christ.
