Receive to be Rooted

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. – (Colossians 2:6-7, NIV)

You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following Him. You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from Him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God. – (Colossians 2:6-7, ERV)

In the same way you received Jesus our Lord and Messiah by faith, continue your journey of faith, progressing further into your union with Him! Your spiritual roots go deeply into His life as you are continually infused with strength, encouraged in every way. For you are established in the faith you have absorbed and enriched your devotion to Him! – (Colossians 2:6-7, TPT)

When we choose Christ, we must continue to live in Him. This transpires as we seek Him, depend on Him, and allow Him to be our life and strength. We grow stronger in faith and understanding, which leads us to continually give Him thanks. In this season of intentional gratitude, may we ever recognize all that God has done, and allow our lives to overflow with our thanks to Him through living lives of love.

Just as we received,

Jesus Christ as Lord;

May we continue,

By grace He affords.

As we choose press on,

Our faith further grows;

We are established,

While love overflows.

Through goodness and grace,

May our roots grow deep;

Rooted in His love,

Strengthened as we seek.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that as we receive all that You freely offer, You strengthen and grow our faith. Thank You that in You, we have countless reasons to give thanks. Forgive us for losing sight of an eternal perspective, as our eyes get diverted by the troubles of the times. Teach us to fix our eyes on You, the Author and perfecter of our faith. Show us how to seek You to lead us in love and strengthen us to live out Your love with all whom we meet. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek, receive, trust and grow in Your goodness and love. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. – Ephesians 3:17-18

To Be Resolute

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. – (Colossians 2:6-7, NIV)

You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following Him. You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from Him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God. – (Colossians 2:6-7, ERV)

My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live Him. You’re deeply rooted in Him. You’re well-constructed upon Him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill into thanksgiving. – (Colossians 2:6-7, MSG)

 

When we accept Christ into our lives and allow Him to be Lord, we become rooted and constructed in Him. Our design is to walk out our faith in all that we do and all that we are, and as we do, gratitude grows and overflows from the core of who we are becoming in Christ. May we ever seek to be strengthened in our faith and remain constant in our thankfulness to God.

Mom and I kept missing each other with our attempts at calling yesterday, but we did exchange text messages a few times during the day. Each time I receive a message from her, gratitude to God rises, as I know how overwhelming even the thought of sending a text message was a few short months ago. Though I know that progress feels extraordinarily slow, it is in the moments when I am able to see tangible evidence of things that were once seeming impossibilities, have again becoming part of mom’s daily life. I trust that God will continue all that He has begun in her healing process, and am beyond grateful for the blessings that I can already see right now.

 

Choose live in the Lord,

Allow faith take root;

Nourish and water,

In Christ, resolute.

The Lord will strengthen,

Grow our hearts in Him;

Overflow with thanks,

For His love within.

By grace, He shows us,

Love all of our days;

For His strength and peace,

Let us choose give praise.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that when we invite you in, You come and strengthen us and grow roots in our hearts in Your truth. Thank You that for these things and more, we have reason to continuously give You praise. Forgive us for allowing our challenges to distract us from the reality of who You are. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would overflow with gratitude; always. Show us how to love those around us well, so that they would be strengthened and encouraged and hunger after You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we thank You for growing us deeper in You and granting us the strength that we need each new day. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. – 1 Chronicles 16:34

Grow Roots of Gratitude

Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. – (Colossians 2:7, NLT)

You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from Him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God. – (Colossians 2:7, ERV)

Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness. – (Colossians 2:7, VOICE)

 

As we depend on Christ and draw life and strength from Him, our roots grow deep and our foundation, strong. Consequently, the deeper our understanding, the more our heart begins to overflow with gratitude. This week marks the kickoff of the whirlwind that is the holiday season. Life tends to become extraordinarily busy with the bonus activities and added gatherings the season supplies. If we stand strong in our faith, just as we were taught, our hearts cannot help but overflow with thankfulness. May we press into our Provider and allow our roots to grow deep down into Him, so that we draw life and strength from the true Source and overflow with thankfulness at His abundant provision of all that we need and more.

 

For in Christ alone,

Our roots shall grow deep;

Safe, strong and secure,

Our hearts His grace keeps.

As we learn and grow,

His love will abound;

Reason to give thanks,

His leading is sound.

With hearts full of praise,

Give thanks forever;

For God is faithful,

Beyond all measure.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that as we grow our roots in You, You build a firm foundation within us. Thank You that as we grow strong in our faith, our heart begins to overflow with thankfulness for You and all that You have done. Forgive us for not pursuing growth in You, or for neglecting to give thanks for all that You have done. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would seek You to be our Strength and Supply and give You praise in all things and at all times. Show us how to love those around us in a way that makes gratitude contagious. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give You thanks for all that You are and all that You do. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. – 1 Chronicles 16:34