Rooted in Christ

This morning's daily Bible verse was Colossians 2:6-7. I'm sure I've heard it before, and no doubt read it as well, since I have read through the entire Bible on occasion; yet it struck me particularly today. Sometimes, after someone is saved, they don't know where to go from there. They are stuck saying, "Now what?" To me, this passage seems to answer that question, giving us a goal - a way to live life after Jesus saves us.

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.

Throughout the Bible, Jesus, the apostles, and other men occasionally refer to believers as "branches" or "trees". For instance, John 15:5 where Jesus teaches, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." And again, in Psalm 1:3, speaking of the man whose delight is the law of God, the Psalmist says, "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither." I've always understood this illustration, so I appreciated the way Paul wrote in this passage in his letter to the Colossians that we are to be "rooted" in Christ. I also appreciated his teaching that believers are to be "overflowing in thankfulness". I believe this is too often lacking in the modern believer, and it is a good reminder, for me as well as others, I'm sure.