"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)
• What sustains the life of a tree are the roots, how deep and strong the roots are, determined the survival and the fruitfulness of the tree.
- Likewise, your roots as a Believer had to grow down into God and draw up nourishment from Him; for Growth, development and fruitfulness (Ephesians 4:15).
- If your roots did go down into God, you will grow in the knowledge of Him, and that causes the growth of your Faith; thus you become strong and vigorous in your spiritual life .
- If your roots are not deep in Him, there would be no nourishments for your spiritual Growth.
THE nourishments you received from Him make you strong and vigorous (1 Peter 2:2). Vitality is a result of good nourishments. - Therefore, let your roots go down in God that you may receive nourishment for your spiritual Growth (Colossians 2:7).
• Christian faith is an adventure, a journey, that has heaven as the destination. Believers are sojourners, pilgrims, or resident aliens on the earth (1 Peter 2:11).
- The journey started when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
- Learning about the truth, knowing the principles and the pattern of the Kingdom, is of paramount importance to your spiritual Growth and development (Ephesians 4:15).
a. God has prepared some to be Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers, to help Believers in the understanding of His Word—the truth (Ephesians 4:11-21).
THE Holy Spirit teaches through His vessels whom He has prepared for the purpose of the edification of the saints—the Believers (Ephesians 4:12).
b. The Holy Spirit on the inside of each individual Believer teaches them as well:
"AS FOR YOU, THE ANOINTING [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have NO need for anyone to teach YOU. BUT JUST AS HIS ANOINTING TEACHES YOU [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] ABOUT ALL THINGS, and is true and is not a lie, AND JUST AS HIS ANOINTING HAS TAUGHT YOU, YOU MUST REMAIN IN HIM [being rooted in Him, knit to Him]" (1 John 2:27 Amps).
THE Greek word "chrism" translated the anointing in the above Bible passage means a SPECIAL endowment of the Holy Spirit on the inside of every Believer that teaches THEM (1 John 2:27). - The endowment illuminates the mind of those who are willing to know the Word, to understand the truth, as they study the Word, the Bible personally (Ephesians 1:17,18: Colossians 1:9).
• Growth in your Christian faith might not be evident or be a reality, if your willingness and cooperation are not gotten by God.
- The Holy Spirit on the inside of you, with the teachers and others in the Ministry offices, are made available for the teaching of the truth that would result in your development and Growth—your spiritual health (Ephesians 4:11-15).
- Thus it is left for you to make yourself available to be taught the truth.
- It takes determination to grow. If a teaching seminar is organized, as an example, God would have prepared the person to be used as a vessel for the teaching.
- It is left for the people concerned, those whom the meeting are meant for, to appreciate God's good gesture by responding and then attend the meeting organized for their spiritual betterment.
• Growth has to be deliberately and consciously pursued and work at, because you will not be forced to read your Bible, or attend meetings. It takes your personal determination to work at it.
- It takes a deliberate and conscious act of discipline to do the things mentioned above for your personal spiritual Growth to be a reality.
- Christianity is not a funfair, you work out your salvation [spiritual Growth and development that Lead to ultimate salvation] with fear and trembling:
"SO THEN, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], NOT only in my presence, BUT now much more in my absence, CONTINUE TO WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, ACTIVELY PURSUE SPIRITUAL MATURITY] WITH AWE-INSPIRED FEAR AND TREMBLING [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]" (Philippians 2:12 Amps). - A number of Believers remain at the babyhood stage in their spiritual life. They fail to work on their spiritual development:
12 FOR THOUGH BY THIS TIME YOU OUGHT TO BE TEACHERS, YOU NEED SOMEONE TO TEACH YOU AGAIN THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE ORACLES OF GOD; AND you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 FOR everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, FOR HE IS A BABE. 14 BUT solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, THOSE WHO BY REASON OF USE HAVE THEIR SENSES EXERCISED TO DISCERN BOTH GOOD AND EVIL" (Hebrews 5:12-14 NKJV). - Some only crave for material Blessings, and to certain extent such blessings come in proportion to your spiritual Growth.
- You do not have to seek those things as the heathens, the unbelievers do. You seek God and His Kingdom first and His righteousness; And all those things will be added to you:
31 “THEREFORE DO NOT WORRY, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 FOR AFTER ALL THESE THINGS THE GENTILES SEEK. For your heavenly Father KNOWS that you need all these things. 33 BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED TO YOU" (Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV). - When God is satisfied with your Growth, your walk with Him, then the needs in your life would be met.
GOD is interested in giving you good things of life, because they are your Kingdom rights to begin with:
"HE WHO DID NOT SPARE HIS OWN SON, but delivered Him up for us all, HOW SHALL HE NOT WITH HIM ALSO FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS?" (Romans 8:32 NKJV). - He is interested that you excel academically, blessed financially, get a marriage partner as you desire and make the marriage work, and grants whoever crave the fruit of the womb, and whatever; BUT HE WANTS YOUR HEART TO BE WITH HIM, before these things are released or given to you.
- God would not want to lose you to the world or the devil, having given you those things you crave.
THUS He would not give them to you without working on the development of your CHARACTER.
• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED