Friday, January 8, 2010

4:10 "How to Grow Your Faith"

Key Verse: "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

You love Jesus and you have rejected the ways of the sinful flesh. You don't want to regress to your past life of sin but how do you go deeper in Christ? Colossians 2:6-7 makes it plain:

You must be active, not passive. You must continue to follow him:


6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.

You must put down spiritual roots in Christ:
7a Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him.
This will help your faith to grow!
7bThen your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

What does this look like on a practical level? How do you get your roots to grow down deep into Christ? First the soil of your heart must be prepared to receive God's word.(see the parable of the sower in Luke 8:8: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%208:8&version=NIV

Get up everyday and spend time in prayer before God, meditating on his word. When he speaks to you from his word, decide to walk in obedience to his word. Pray for wisdom on matters you don't understand. Secondly, it is important to spend time with other believers in fellowship, bible study and worship. The body of Christ can help you grow in ways that you cannot grow alone.

Prayer: Lord, although I have walked with you for a number of years, help my roots to grow down even deeper in you! Help me to have a heart that is open to receiving your word and a help me to live a life of obedience to your word. Thank you for the precious body of Christ. Help me to stay connected so that I will be sharpened like iron by my brothers and sisters. I know that if I do this faithfully, my faith will grow strong in the truth that I was taught, and I will overflow with thankfulness according to Colossians 2:7

In Jesus Name! Amen!