Consider Colossians 2:6-7, '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.' (NIV) There is never a place for the Christian to live outside of Christ, He is who we have received, believed in and find our life, Jesus is truly our all in all.
Whilst travelling over the summer months, I came across these trees which had been blown over by a recent storm and strong winds. They were on a small island off the coast of Finland near Helsinki. I was immediately reminded of the vital need to be rooted into the rock that is Jesus Christ. Many Christians live as it were upon the rock, enjoying the stability which Christianity can often bring to their lives, but when trouble and storm comes, they have no root in Jesus Himself. The picture tells the story of what happens to those who have not given their hearts to the Lord Jesus. Living upon Jesus without getting into Him is never enough; that is just a church attendance; just a reading of your bible; a token testimony; the Lord wants to root us into Himself. This is real relationship...this is not a token gesture, but the vital need to survive this life, where sin and sorrow would break us, yet Jesus wants to forgive us and strengthen us by His grace.
The parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:5 where some seed fell on rocky places, the soil was shallow and the plants grew quickly, but the plants like the trees in the picture on that island couldn't withstand the weather. Verse:21 is stark in that it plainly tells us the facts 'Since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.' Spiritual truth is sometimes harsh to hear, but better to know the truth than to live decieving oneself of safety. Jesus said that the fall of such a person is based on the rejection of the word of the Lord, the message of the Kingdom itself being at the very central place in our lives. Have we believed the truth and are we willing to let our lives get rooted into the truth by the work of the Holy Spirit without compromise.
Matthew Armstrong
Blantyre Oct 15th 2010
Issue 29
