Roots and thanksgiving!

 

I was blessed to be able to visit my family in California this year before thanksgiving. It was nice to reunite with my parents, brother and sister and their families.  There’s something about going back to your roots to help you move forward in the next season of life.   Going back to the places I spent growing up, catching up with loved ones and sharing funny stories from our past  not only reminds me of who I am, but  also provides an opportunity to reconnect with my family relationships.  Overall, it was a much needed and great trip. 

The two words that were given to me this month for this blog were: Roots and thanksgiving.

It all started with this political madness  of the elections. Yes I found myself getting upset again at the state of the world.  Then God reminded me I was spending too much time on social media and forgetting who I was.  I was convicted after hearing an excellent sermon  by Pastor Rick Warren on Jesus and politics. 

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep in the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit.  -Jeremiah 17:7-8 

The big take home from this sermon that I received was that although politicians claim to solve all the world’s problems and people do get so wrapped up in this,  like I was, BUT Jesus says, only I can save you.  It seems as though I forgot who I was and needed to be reminded of my roots in Jesus.   Because I’ve accepted Jesus as my savior for what he did on the cross for my sins, all my faults and failings, then my identity is in Him alone as a child of God and NOT in the world’s opinions or who I vote for.  I do not have to rely on the news for my security. I am guided by God’s grace, and not by the wisdom of the world! 

So I heard the word roots AND since it is the month of thanksgiving, I also heard the word, thanksgiving.  So I looked up both of those words and happened to find a verse where they BOTH occur. 

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 

As I studied this verse I learned , there’s actually a lot  packed into it. It essentially gives a short instruction on how to grow in relationship with Christ.  First, some background: this verse comes from Paul’s letter to Colossians, a church community.  Paul writes from prison to encourage this church that was getting a lot of pressure from outside influences.  He reminds them to stay devoted to Jesus.  He actually starts this letter with thanksgiving.  It’s always a good idea to start everything by giving thanks  like when we pray and before we start our day.   In this chapter, Paul addresses some of those outside influences.  He says there are two main influences to resist, 1. Mystical polytheism and 2. Observance of the laws. He reveals that Jesus triumphed over spiritual powers mentioned in number 1.  And Jesus is the reality to which the laws pointed in number 2. 

Number 1 makes me think of philosophies today that seem wise but have no Biblical basis.  What are the popular cultural scripts of today or stories that aren’t biblical? One may be,  ‘follow your heart’.  This isn’t very biblical as it just says to do whatever you want.   Another may be, ‘God only helps those who helps themselves’.  This implies that you have to do everything on your own efforts and places too much emphasis on self reliance when its God we should be relying on.  What was the wisdom I was buying into?  I think it may have been, ‘the only way to change things is through politics and government’.  Biblically, Jesus says the church matters more and that is the only way we know God. (Ephesians 1:22) And really the only way to change things, is by receiving God’s grace and helping those closest to us.  (Jeremiah 9) 

Number 2 makes me think of the church today, and getting caught up more in about being right, but what matters is what’s in the heart.  (Colossians 2:23)

So let’s go back and look closely at this verse that begins with roots and ends with thanksgiving. 

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 

 

Be firmly rooted -Keep walking in the way I received Jesus. Remember that I am a child of God first.  Also, more dangerous days are ahead so the more important it is to stay rooted.  

Build life on Jesus- Our foundation is in Christ. He will always support us

Establish your faith in truth - Spend time in the study of God’s word. 

Overflow with thankfulness- To be thankful is a sign of growing as a believer, seeing what God is doing in everything and having an attitude of gratefulness.  The fruit of that tree by the river is thankfulness. More importantly to be thankful in times of struggle.  Not that this downplays our realities, but it allows us to cling to Jesus and stay rooted in Him.   This way, we can be like that tree, not bothered by the heat in times of drought but staying green, producing fruit, being thankful.  

This past month I was reminded of my roots in Jesus. This helps me to be thankful, despite the pressures and expectations of the world, but also gives me a chance to simply reconnect in my relationship with Him.   Like my trip to California, the stories and the places are nice, but it was the reconnecting in my relationships that really mattered most and reminded me, there is much to be grateful for.   

This upcoming month, I plan to spend a little more time being rooted in Jesus through this advent devotional I started and hope to share with you what I learned. 

Thank you for letting me share!

Hopeful girl, 

Janette

Sober for 1,965 days, hopeful for another day more.