So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (Colossians 2:6-7, NIV).
For Christmas, a friend gave us an amaryllis plant…well, actually, it was a pot and an amaryllis bulb. For the longest time it just sat there in its package – not doin’ nothin’!
So we got some potting soil and planted it. We watered it. It shot up fast! And it is now blooming – two huge, beautiful red flowers for everyone who enters our home to enjoy.
I thought of that when I read Paul’s words to the church in Colossae. In the verse preceding this passage, the Apostle says “even though I’m not with you every day, I delight in seeing your growth.”
The Christian life is to be like that amaryllis. Each of us has incredible, God-given potential as humans. But outside of a relationship with our Creator, it will never be reached. Like that unplanted bulb in its package…not doin’ nothin’!
But when we are planted in Christ, when our roots begin to grow, when we are built up in his word and his truth, when we are stretched in our faith to believe that God really can and will work through us, we push out of that soil and grow. It’s not long, in the right environment, before we begin to bloom “overflowing with thankfulness”. Then we add beauty to the world…just like God intended.
God gave us life in him and he gave us the church for a growth-encouraging environment. Church is the place God has determined to help build us up, create roots, and strengthen us in faith and teaching. Blooming. Beautiful. Overflowing with thankfulness.
I’m thankful for life in Christ and I’m thankful for the church!
