My Friend Paula over at Paula's Ponderings asked a question today about slipping into default mode. It got me to thinking about why we do that; default down to our own level when we should be lifted up to the full power and authority given to us in Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:6 says:
As you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him.
Have you received Christ? The Greek word used for received is paralambano meaning ‘to take with you , to take charge of, to receive’.
I couldn't help but think about how I can receive a gift and then put it away. Even a precious gift, like expensive jewelry or such. I receive it and then put it in its place or tuck it away in a safe place, not to be used except on special occasions or when the gift is needed in my daily life. Is this what I do with the gift of salvation?
But this word says to receive it and take with you…to take charge of it.
Salvation is not receiving Christ and then setting that gift aside in ‘its place’. It is receiving and taking it with us. I find it easy to pull that gift out when things are hard, confusing or I’m at church…but God is telling me to carry that gift with me all the time. And not just holding it in a pocket, but actually taking charge of that gift in my daily life.
This thought is expanded by the rest of that verse, saying “continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him”.
Rooted is the greek word rhizoo, meaning ‘to be rooted, with the associative meaning that a rooted object is strong and healthy’. I love that image. Not only am I to be rooted in the Word of God, I am told that doing so will make me strong and healthy.
We have explored the concept of being strong and healthy by feeding our souls with balanced meals instead of junk. This verse is another visual image given to us by God to drive home this same concept of being strong and healthy by the word of God.
And the third point is that we are to be built up in Him. Think about a healthy physical body that is built up (or as we say… ‘bulked up’). When we fill our body with healthy food and exercise our body…we get built up in physical strength. By the same token, when we fill our soul with healthy food, the word of God, and then work out our life using that knowledge, we are built up (or bulked up) in Him.
I used to think I couldn’t serve God until I was a mighty woman of faith…bulked up in Him if you will. At some point I realized that God wasn’t asking me to become a Christian wonder woman before I could be used by Him. I realized that that the wonder woman in me was the power of the Holy Spirit and He was asking me to feed myself on His word to draw more on that power in my day to day life.
So we should go out today and everyday, ready to draw on the strength of Christ to be a testimony to the awesome power of His working in us. It doesn’t matter where we are, who we are, what we are or how we are. God’s word for us here says that no matter where, who, what or how…if we receive Him, taking Him with us at all times, we are strong and built up in the power of the Holy Spirit. And with Him, nothing is impossible. So Paula, I am with you ~ let's stop living in default mode and shift into high gear of the power and authority of God!
PRAYER:
Lord, You planted a seed in me that took root the day I submitted my life to You. I received the gift of that seed with great joy. Lord, I confess that there have been times when I tucked that gift away into a ‘safe place’, sometimes walking around without even remembering I had it. Forgive me Lord, and help me remember that when I received this gift, Your expectation is that I take it with me and use it in my daily life. Nudge me Lord when I have slipped it into my pocket for a moment. Remind me to pull it out and let it take charge of my life. I acknowledge that in my flesh I am weak, but in You I am strong. Let me use this strength to Your glory. May I increase in wisdom and stature as I work out my salvation with You leading the way. Amen.
God Bless and Keep You,
Tami
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