Have you ever tried to remove a tree?  Not cut it down but to completely remove it roots and all.  It’s a much tougher process than you might think.  Even small trees often have a deep and wide root system that doesn’t want to move.  I remember once breaking a metal chain trying to pull out a 6 ft tree and its roots with a 4X4 truck.  We had to dig the roots out a tremendous amount before we could even get it to budge.  Paul writes to the Colossians about the importance of being rooted in our faith.  Let’s look at his words found in Colossians 2 together today.

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self-ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Many of Paul’s letters address a similar concept of not abandoning the faith they were taught and embracing other ideas.  This was a problem in the early church just as it is today.  People seem to love to add to or take away from the message of Jesus.  That’s why being rooted is so important.  When we are rooted in Christ we don’t budge when life throws others messages and ideologies at us.  We continue to grow and be fed by what we are rooted to – Christ.  The deeper we are rooted in Him the stronger we are. Ideologies and the storms of life don’t move us much at all because of our strong roots.  I pray that we all might be rooted well in Jesus. 

Rooted Deep in His Grip,
Pastor Dave