Rooted in Faith
This study is based off of the series The Clarity of Mystery. Click Below to watch it now.
I’ve never had a green thumb. With limited gardening knowledge, growing lush plants is not in my wheel-house of expertise. My go-to rules are plant in the
spring, wait until after the last chance of frost, use good soil with fertilizer and
water often. So when I moved to North Carolina a few years back, I didn’t
comprehend why all my neighbors were planting pansies in October when winter
was just around the corner. This newcomer to North Carolina told her neighbors
they were crazy to waste their money on flowers that would soon die when cold
weather came.
The new believers in Colossae faced a similar battle regarding false information. People came in and started spreading false teachings through the city that
claimed there was secret knowledge only some people had access to. Others
spread requirements that all Jewish laws and rituals must be followed. Both false
teachings disputed the gospel of Jesus Christ and God’s grace.
In Colossians 2:6-7, the Apostle Paul encouraged his brothers and sisters in
Christ to stand firm as they remembered their faith roots. “So then, just as you
received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built
up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with
thankfulness.”
Paul takes it one step further in verse 2:8 by imploring them to be responsible for
their own spiritual growth, actively pursuing wisdom and knowledge. “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.”
Like the Colossians, we too are responsible to actively pursue God’s wisdom and
knowledge, to ground our faith with deep roots in His Word. We are called to be
in a community of believers disciplined in spurring one another on to study and
apply His Word to our lives. As head knowledge becomes heart knowledge (by
trusting God’s truth and growing our faith roots) only then are we spiritually alive.
We won’t be deceived by the world’s lies and false teachings.
We can’t defend God’s truth if we never pick up our Bible, study God’s Word and
grow in Christian community together. Psalm 119:11 encourages us, “I have
hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Instead of spreading false information, I should have done a little research before
spouting out my naïve planting opinions. Had I gone to the ultimate source of
gardening truth, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, I would have
learned that “Pansies enliven the winter landscape … and are a winter favorite in
Eastern North Carolina because they can survive cold winter temperatures and
add a splash of color to the landscape. Pansies come in so many colors that it is hard to pass up getting at least a few to add to the landscape. Pansies are
usually planted in our area from late October thru November.”
This fall, pansies are flourishing my garden. I’m looking forward to seeing their
vibrant little faces peak out of the snow this winter. Knowing the truth and living the truth changes everything.
More Moments:
What do you need to actively start doing to grow your faith roots? Start with
opening your Bible and reading Colossians and see how Paul encouraged the
new believers in Colossae. It’s three pages in the Bible and takes about 10-15
minutes. You will be blessed.