ROOTS
So then, 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. (Col. 2:6-7)
“Now listen to a story ‘bout a man named Jed, a poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed. Then one day he was shootin’ at some food, and out from the ground came a bubblin’ crude... (Oil, that is, Texas tea!) “Well the first thing you know old Jed’s a millionaire. Kin folk said, “Jed, move away from there! Said, “California is the place you oughta be!” So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly… (Hills that is, swimming pools, movie stars)
Most of us – at least any that have a few grey hairs on their head, will remember the Ballad of Jed Clampett. During a time when there actually were shows on television that didn’t make you blush, the Beverly Hillbillies entertained us with their ongoing struggle to adapt in a new and peculiar cultural setting. Supposedly Jed struck it rich one day while out hunting rabbit for the evening stew. And wouldn’t you know it, he missed. But his poor aim was one of the best things that ever happened to him because his shot apparently hit a gusher of oil which was right beneath the surface of the dirt. (How come that never happens to me?) Jed became an instant millionaire and moved his family from the old wooden farm shack to a gigantic mansion in Beverly Hills, California. So the stage was set for an ongoing television series as a country boy struggled to live out his new life in a very foreign setting.
The old cliché, “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy,” was the foundational concept in every episode. Jed had grown up in the hills of Tennessee. He was firmly rooted in the country values of his upbringing. The way he treated strangers, his attitude toward money and possessions, his world view had all been shaped by his roots in Tennessee. Of course those who lived in Beverly Hills had very different values and a very different view of money and possessions. Jed was often seen as corny and naive by those who wanted to get their sticky fingers on his money. But Jed was actually an honest and trusting soul who stood out like a sore thumb in corrupt and dishonest society. The crooks tried their best but they never did get the best of him. Sometimes it was granny who came to the rescue. Sometimes it was Jed and his “horse sense” that saved the day. But at the end of every episode you found yourself being glad that Jed stuck to his country roots and didn’t cave in to the pressures of his society.
What brought Jed stability in a strange culture were his roots. In the same way, we create stability in our lives by placing our roots firmly in Christ. Paul reminds us in the verse above, “just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him,”
Learn to Live in Christ. If you want to establish stability in your Christian life, you must learn to live “in” Christ, not just “for” Christ. Being rooted in Christ means that we allow him to influence our values and priorities. Every time we acknowledge that Christ is our only hope of salvation, the roots grow deeper. Every time we open the Bible and allow God to speak to us through his Word, the roots grow deeper. Every time we ask for forgiveness, the roots grow deeper. Every time we yield ourselves completely to him, the roots grow deeper. Every time we allow the Bible to shape the way that we think, the roots grow deeper.
Stay Rooted in Christ. Once there was a church whose advertising slogan was “Rooted in the Word; Reaching for the World.” One week, by mistake, the typesetter at the newspaper got it backwards and the ad read, “Rooted in the World; Reaching for the Word.” The mistake didn’t really apply to that particular church, but it does apply to the way many Christians try to live. They try to do good deeds, and they try to quit bad habits and start good habits, and they try to be disciplined in their efforts, but they are doomed to fail because they have never placed their roots in Christ. Their roots—their values and priorities—are still in the world, or in themselves, or in their quest for success, or in any number of other things, but not in Christ. Being rooted in Christ involves abandoning worldly values and priorities and establishing Christ’s values and priorities in our lives.
Be Built Up In Christ. In the original language, this phrase is written in the present tense. It means that being “built up in Christ” is an on-going process - one that takes time. Maybe you expect it to happen immediately. Maybe your spouse expects it to happen immediately. Maybe everyone around you expects you to be perfect RIGHT NOW. But the fact is, right now you are not perfect. And if you expect perfection of yourself, you are doomed to fail. Here’s some good news for you: God isn’t surprised by your imperfection. He realizes that becoming like Christ is a process that takes time. This does not give us an excuse to sin; it gives us a reason to keep trying. You are God’s project now, and he is at work in your life to make you more like Christ.
Be Strengthened in Your Faith. How do you do this? You do it the same as when you became a Christian. You become a Christian by saying, “Jesus, I cannot save myself, only you can save me.” And to experience God’s strength in your life today you must say, “Lord, I cannot do this myself, only you can give me the strength to live the Christian life.”
Be Overflowing With Thankfulness. Paul says that we should be overflowing with thankfulness towards Christ for what he has promised to do in our life. You can begin thanking him now, because he will certainly do what he has promised to do. You may not be perfect yet - and if you’re like me you’re a long way from being perfect - but you can be absolutely sure that by his grace you will become like Christ, and you can be thankful today for what he will do in the future. Expressing thankfulness in advance is an act of faith - it means that you are trusting in him and not yourself.
If you want to find stability in a strange and corrupt culture, Jesus must be the root of your existence. Learn to live in Him and he will build you up – in Faith, that is. “You all come back now. You hear?”
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
“Now listen to a story ‘bout a man named Jed, a poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed. Then one day he was shootin’ at some food, and out from the ground came a bubblin’ crude... (Oil, that is, Texas tea!) “Well the first thing you know old Jed’s a millionaire. Kin folk said, “Jed, move away from there! Said, “California is the place you oughta be!” So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly… (Hills that is, swimming pools, movie stars)
Most of us – at least any that have a few grey hairs on their head, will remember the Ballad of Jed Clampett. During a time when there actually were shows on television that didn’t make you blush, the Beverly Hillbillies entertained us with their ongoing struggle to adapt in a new and peculiar cultural setting. Supposedly Jed struck it rich one day while out hunting rabbit for the evening stew. And wouldn’t you know it, he missed. But his poor aim was one of the best things that ever happened to him because his shot apparently hit a gusher of oil which was right beneath the surface of the dirt. (How come that never happens to me?) Jed became an instant millionaire and moved his family from the old wooden farm shack to a gigantic mansion in Beverly Hills, California. So the stage was set for an ongoing television series as a country boy struggled to live out his new life in a very foreign setting.
The old cliché, “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy,” was the foundational concept in every episode. Jed had grown up in the hills of Tennessee. He was firmly rooted in the country values of his upbringing. The way he treated strangers, his attitude toward money and possessions, his world view had all been shaped by his roots in Tennessee. Of course those who lived in Beverly Hills had very different values and a very different view of money and possessions. Jed was often seen as corny and naive by those who wanted to get their sticky fingers on his money. But Jed was actually an honest and trusting soul who stood out like a sore thumb in corrupt and dishonest society. The crooks tried their best but they never did get the best of him. Sometimes it was granny who came to the rescue. Sometimes it was Jed and his “horse sense” that saved the day. But at the end of every episode you found yourself being glad that Jed stuck to his country roots and didn’t cave in to the pressures of his society.
What brought Jed stability in a strange culture were his roots. In the same way, we create stability in our lives by placing our roots firmly in Christ. Paul reminds us in the verse above, “just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him,”
Learn to Live in Christ. If you want to establish stability in your Christian life, you must learn to live “in” Christ, not just “for” Christ. Being rooted in Christ means that we allow him to influence our values and priorities. Every time we acknowledge that Christ is our only hope of salvation, the roots grow deeper. Every time we open the Bible and allow God to speak to us through his Word, the roots grow deeper. Every time we ask for forgiveness, the roots grow deeper. Every time we yield ourselves completely to him, the roots grow deeper. Every time we allow the Bible to shape the way that we think, the roots grow deeper.
Stay Rooted in Christ. Once there was a church whose advertising slogan was “Rooted in the Word; Reaching for the World.” One week, by mistake, the typesetter at the newspaper got it backwards and the ad read, “Rooted in the World; Reaching for the Word.” The mistake didn’t really apply to that particular church, but it does apply to the way many Christians try to live. They try to do good deeds, and they try to quit bad habits and start good habits, and they try to be disciplined in their efforts, but they are doomed to fail because they have never placed their roots in Christ. Their roots—their values and priorities—are still in the world, or in themselves, or in their quest for success, or in any number of other things, but not in Christ. Being rooted in Christ involves abandoning worldly values and priorities and establishing Christ’s values and priorities in our lives.
Be Built Up In Christ. In the original language, this phrase is written in the present tense. It means that being “built up in Christ” is an on-going process - one that takes time. Maybe you expect it to happen immediately. Maybe your spouse expects it to happen immediately. Maybe everyone around you expects you to be perfect RIGHT NOW. But the fact is, right now you are not perfect. And if you expect perfection of yourself, you are doomed to fail. Here’s some good news for you: God isn’t surprised by your imperfection. He realizes that becoming like Christ is a process that takes time. This does not give us an excuse to sin; it gives us a reason to keep trying. You are God’s project now, and he is at work in your life to make you more like Christ.
Be Strengthened in Your Faith. How do you do this? You do it the same as when you became a Christian. You become a Christian by saying, “Jesus, I cannot save myself, only you can save me.” And to experience God’s strength in your life today you must say, “Lord, I cannot do this myself, only you can give me the strength to live the Christian life.”
Be Overflowing With Thankfulness. Paul says that we should be overflowing with thankfulness towards Christ for what he has promised to do in our life. You can begin thanking him now, because he will certainly do what he has promised to do. You may not be perfect yet - and if you’re like me you’re a long way from being perfect - but you can be absolutely sure that by his grace you will become like Christ, and you can be thankful today for what he will do in the future. Expressing thankfulness in advance is an act of faith - it means that you are trusting in him and not yourself.
If you want to find stability in a strange and corrupt culture, Jesus must be the root of your existence. Learn to live in Him and he will build you up – in Faith, that is. “You all come back now. You hear?”
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
posted by Larry | 4:31 PM
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