Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
Colossians 2:6-7
When Jesus spoke to His disciples and the crowds that followed Him, He often used agricultural expressions and parables about plants, trees and crops to describe spiritual truths. Jesus did this as most everyone in His day would understand the physical truths, but they often missed the spiritual meaning. In the above scripture, the Apostle Paul wrote about being rooted in Christ by our faith in Him. The people of Paul’s day would understand that the health of any tree or plant depended on the root system being secure into the soil and drawing the proper nutrients necessary for life and health. While the fruit and leaves are visible above the ground, it is what is going on in the hidden area under the soil that produces health. So it is in our lives; people can see certain aspects of our life that are “above ground”, but it is the hidden life we have with Christ by faith that is “underground” that is essential. We may be tempted by the world system to focus on “appearances” only, but that is a big mistake. As a people of faith, we are to focus on “abiding in Christ” in the time we have alone with Him in prayer, Bible Study and personal worship (See John 15 and Matthew 6). The fruit of our life and character are indeed visible and we are to examine these before making decisions on who to trust in life, but let us not miss the point that all that is visible is the result of what is going on in secret in the hidden life. As we celebrate the season of spring and all the new life and growth of plants and trees, may it remind us that if we are to be healthy and alive in our faith in our Lord, we must devote ourselves to being faithful to Him in all aspects of our life, especially the hidden and unseen places. If we focus on the truth that God sees and knows all, even the secrets of our heart, it will help motivate us to life honestly and openly before Him. If we then choose to thank God for His faithful love and express gratitude to Him and others, He will grow us and transform us into His chosen servants for His Kingdom. That my friends, is the blessed life!
Love in Christ,
Pastor Gary Houdek