Metaphors of Growth

Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Paul gives us three metaphors to illustrate the importance of our faith specifically our relationship with Christ. First he gives us the metaphor of a path that we are to walk. Like every path there is a beginning and an end, also throughout the middle there can be several paths or detours that will lead us off the main path to destinations unknown. Jesus declared that He is the only way to life eternal. I know often in my sometimes feeble attempts to walk with Him I often take the side paths and end up going a direction I did not want to go. But Jesus is so amazing in that I can take 10,000 steps away from the path and it only takes one to get back. Second he uses the metaphor of a tree that has roots going deep. The amazing things about roots is that if properly fed they will be twice as long as the tree and able to withstand forces that would try to knock the tree over. In life I have faced many trials and will face many more, I know that in those times that I have been fed by the Word of God that the roots of my relationship with Christ have helped me to stand firm in the midst of a storm. Third he uses on object that is being built. With every building project the foundation is absolutely critical to the overall health of the structure. Jesus himself illustrated this with the two men, one who built his house on the sand and one who built his house on the rock. They key was the foundation which was obeying the Word of God. If I want my faith to be rock solid than I must build its foundation on the Word of God and the truths within and not on my own thinking or the thinking of the "wise" or even my experiences. These things should never be used to validate the Word of God but the Word of God should validate these things. Today may I be found walking the path of a relationship with Christ as I am rooted through God's Word and build my faith as I obey it.

Father thank you for the message of Christ and relationship that comes from believing that message, give me the strength today to live for you and walk with you so that my faith might be strengthened to face the challenges of today.