Be Rooted

Message Scripture:

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” – Colossians 2:6-7 (KJV)

Introduction:

Happy Sunday Everyone!

As I continue to work to get some messages I wrote earlier this year added to Pastor B’s Blog I can’t help being a little excited that I have this to post after just posting on Christlike Ministries NWA blog Psalm 1 as the Christlike Ministries NWA Scripture of the Day.

So, it makes it easy to bring this message over today as part of the theme of Psalm 1 is the same here as we ought to desire to be rooted and grounded in Christ.

I originally wrote this back in April as part of a Cigar Lounge Devotional I was working on, but it fits well today as we talk about being rooted…of course it’s in Christ that we want to be rooted in, Amen!?!

Be Rooted:

There are many things in life that we talk about when it comes to where we get our roots.

In the cigar world, roots are important because that’s where the tobacco grows that make our cigars and pipes.  I mean you never just see a tobacco leaf it take months and some times years to grow them.  Which is something that should be encouraging to us as believers.  When the seed of the gospel penetrates the soil of our hearts it begins to grow roots, and of course we depend upon the Word of God to help our roots grow.  The more we hear and read and study the Word of God the deeper we become rooted in Christ.

I’ve read some of your comments and some of you are discouraged because you feel like your not getting anywhere in your walk with God.  Well…much of the work that God does in our hearts isn’t in the fruit, but the root.

Think of it this way.  We all know how tall those California Red Wood trees get, but we also know it takes decades to get those trees to be as tall as they are.  However, how many of you know that before those big ol trees can grow to be as tall as they are, the first thing they need is to grow deep, strong roots?

So, if you’re discouraged because you don’t seem to feel like you are where you should be in your walk with God…think about how long it took before you came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in the first place.

I don’t know about anyone else, but when I came to Christ my root system was still in the world.  Would it surprise you to know that I still have roots in the world today?  It took me decades to get to the place where I was when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  How many of you know that a lot of that stuff doesn’t change over night?  It has taken me years to get to the place where I am today, and to be completely honest with you I still have a long, long ways to go.

So, take heart in knowing that if you have confessed Christ as your Savior you’ve already begun the process of being rooted and grounded in Christ.  None of us have arrived anywhere yet, and the truth is none of us will be perfected until we get our glorified bodies to spend all of eternity in.

We’re going to fall short, we’re going to make mistakes, but make no mistake about it God is at work in each and every one of our lives.

Some of us have more years of the world to uproot than others…and the worst thing we can do is compare ourselves to someone else.  I remember God speaking to me once that He didn’t call or create me to be like anyone else…He called and created me to be like me.  I’m created in His image, and so are you.

The thing is, we continue to grow in Christ just like we received Him.  We received Him by faith in the Word of God…and we grow by hearing, studying, reading and doing the Word.  Which brings me to why it’s important to find a good, solid Bible teaching, preaching, and living church.

We need one another to help us to grow, and that’s why I believe God lead me to launch Christlike Ministries NWA.  The heart and soul of this ministry is to help each member of the Christlike Ministries NWA Family to begin, develop and maintain their own personal walk with God.  The mission is to introduce those who don’t know Jesus to Him, and to educate, encourage and equip those who do know Him so that they can grow and take their place in the Body of Christ so God can use them to do what He called them to do their part in fulfilling the Great Commission.

The greatest thing that I know today is that God isn’t finished with me yet…and that He’s going to continue that work in me until Jesus comes to get me, and another thing I know is that He is doing the same in your life.

Be encouraged, beloved…He’s not finished with you yet!

Let’s Pray:

Father God, we come to You in the name of Jesus.  Lord, some times we get so frustrated because our outsides don’t always match the work You are doing on the inside.  Give us eyes to see the things You have done, the things You are doing, and the things You have yet to do in, with, and through our lives.  And Father, while we look at our lives we know that we aren’t where we want to be, but we’re so thankful for all the work You have done in our lives to keep us from being who and where we used to be.  It’s only by Your love, grace, and mercy that we are who we are today, and we thank You for the workmanship You have done in our lives, and for the work You have yet to do.  We bless You Lord God, and ask these things in Jesus name.  Amen & Amen

Final Word from Pastor B:

We all know this phrase:  “I may not be where I want to be, but I thank God that I’m not where I used to be.”

Friends, here’s a simple truth that those in the religious world won’t tell you.

Some times, we have to learn to be content with where we are, and thankful that we’re not where we once were.

When I look back over my life and see how God has made all things work together for good like He said He would do in Romans 8:28, I can say with confidence that I’m not where I used to be, but I most certainly are not who I used to be…and neither are you.

I know I say this often, but it’s the truth.  Every time you read one of these messages you are reading the fruit of the work God’s done in, with, and now through my life.

I feel like I need to say this again just in case you missed it a moment ago:

Be encouraged, beloved…the best is yet to come, and God is most definitely not finished with you yet!

Have a blessed day!

Blessings & Grace:

Pastor B