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.
Colossians 2:6-7
We all have a beginning in our Christian walk. For some it is a gradual process since birth. Others have a radical turning point, just as the apostle Paul who wrote Colossians with his counterpart Timothy.
Regardless of speed, we all grow as we root ourselves in Christ. As we spend time in God’s Word, we build ourselves up, and our faith gets stronger and stronger.
As a child I went to church. My parents raised me in the faith, and they taught our family to obey God with our lives. None of us did this nearly perfectly. We each had to find our way with God.
What I have found, however, is that my faith didn’t really grow by leaps and bounds until I had learned to seek God with all my heart. There is a beautiful Bible Verse in Jeremiah 29 verse 13. It reads, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
How much are we willing to seek after God? The more we read and immerse ourselves in The Holy Bible, God’s Word, the more we grow in our depth of understanding. Some will settle for the status quo.
The English Standard Version says, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” That verse is straight out of Isaiah 55 verse 2.
Isn’t this a great focus? Let’s be gluttons for God’s Word. The Prophet Jeremiah is one who ate God’s Word. “Your words were found, and I ate them.” We find this verse in Jeremiah 15:16.
We have most of us feasted recently at the Thanksgiving Tables with family and friends. Have we feasted on God’s Word as joyfully?
We find another Bible Verse that supports this theme in Romans 10:17. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
As Christians we have the Holy Spirit to enlighten words on the pages of the Bible. Otherwise, the words would be devoid of meaning to us. How important to share the Good News with others and encourage them to ask the LORD to enlighten their understanding with the Holy Spirit within.
We live in perilous times, that much is certain.
The one thing we have to cling to, build us up, and strengthen us is God’s Word. If we have that, we have all we need. Remember the words of Jesus in Luke 4 verse 4. And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
As we feast on God’s Word growing in faith, growing stronger by the day, we will indeed overflow in thankfulness.
“Call to me and I will answer you,
and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
Jeremiah 33:3