ARE YOU MISSING OUT ON A LIFE OF STRENGTH AND THANKFULNESS?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live your lives in him,
(Colossians 2:6)

MEDITATION:
Some people miss out on living the ‘good life’
because they fail to realize that salvation is a ‘new beginning’.
It gives us the opportunity to live life as we have never experienced it before.
No longer is our life filled with the clutter of things that are not pleasing
to the Lord, and which create turmoil and a constant churning for us.

Many feel the tension of constantly racing but never resting.
It doesn’t have to be like that, especially for those who belong to the Lord.
However, we have some responsibilities
that Paul mentioned in his letter to the Colossians.
rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:7)

We are told to be ‘rooted’ and ‘built up’ in the Lord.
Think about what this subtle instruction means.
To be rooted means that we should be deeply and firmly established in Him.
That doesn’t happen
if we continue with our ‘pre-salvation’ habits, thoughts, attitudes and actions.

When we ask God to save us, we are making a commitment to leave some
things behind, so we can embrace the things that are good for us.
It also doesn’t happen if we fail to make any effort
to spend time with the Lord in prayer and in reading His Word.

When we are ‘rooted’ it means
our entire being depends on Him for our strength, direction and focus.
We will know if we are ‘rooted’ by the amount our faith grows.
Paul says our faith will receive strength which makes it possible
to exchange the things that displease the Lord, for the things that please Him.

And when we do, we will discover new blessings that we never enjoyed
while we were living a life of opposition and disobedience to the Lord.
There is no doubt that sin can offer brief moments of pleasure and satisfaction,
but at the end, we experience the guilt of knowing we have disappointed
the Lord who loves us more than we could ever imagine.

He doesn’t just say He loves us, He proved it by what He did for us.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh,
God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled
the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned
us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)
His suffering on the cross gave us the opportunity to transition
from being ‘dead’ (in our sins) to being ‘alive’ (with Christ).

When we boil everything down to two choices ‘dead or alive’,
it is easy to see which choice we should make.
And when we are ‘alive with Christ’ we will be ‘overflowing with thankfulness’
as we realize the gift of living He offers to those who belong to Him.

ACTION:
Have you discovered what it is like to be ‘alive with Christ’?
If you ever experience times when it seems no one loves or cares about you,
never forget that the Lord does, and He proved it.
It just makes sense to ‘connect’ (rooted and built up)
with the One who loves you the most, doesn’t it?

If you are not ‘overflowing with thankfulness’,
then what is preventing you from having this flood of emotion?
Are you still holding on to things from the past, or are you failing
to spend dedicated time with the Lord in prayer and reading His Word?

If you did not fully realize the commitments associated with receiving salvation,
it is time to commit to Him now that you do know what is expected of you.
And when you do, the scriptures promise you can start enjoying living
as you never have before, because you are ‘alive WITH Christ’!
It doesn’t necessarily mean you will have a ‘trouble free’ life, but with your faith
strengthened, you will have the confidence and endurance to cope with them.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for saving me! Forgive me if I have
failed to realize the full commitment expected of me when I received
Your salvation. Now that I know what salvation means, help me to
commit to being rooted in You so that I will be alive in Christ and
experience the overflowing of thankfulness for Your love and what
You did for me.”

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