ESTABLISHED WITH THANKSGIVING

30 Days of Thanksgiving devotions by husband Steve Long - Visit his blog at Reflecting the Light

"Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving." (Colossians 2.7)


Photo by Bill Williams on Unsplash

Raising plants can be really tough. They require a lot of care and attention.

Perhaps the first need for a plant is to get it rooted. This can require good loose soil and a root stimulator to add nutrients.

The plant also needs to be established. The early care may include extra watering, sometimes pruning, weeding, cultivating and other considerations. It may take quite a bit of time before we can move on to the next phase.

Finally, we want our plant to flourish one day. For a green plant, we want to see depth of color and fullness. If it’s a fruit tree, we want to see fruit from it. If it’s a flower, we desire beautiful blooms. Then, we hope that it will experience sustained health for it's continued progress.

Likewise, for our lives, God wants to see us:

Rooted

Established

Abounding

We are rooted in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. He allows us to grow downward (rooted). A person’s depth is that aspect about them which no one sees. Some people are not as deep in the faith as they appear, but others go deeper than it may seem.Few know what kind of prayer life we have or the time we allow God to speak to us through his word. This is what makes one’s relationship with him deeper.

He also wants us to grow upward (established). He says we are to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” This stage may be more visible and allows us to connect and be a testimony to others.

Then, God would have us flourish in our faith (abounding). He is looking for fruit in us (John chapter 15). He wants our lives to resemble his. He wants to see love, joy, peace and the other like traits in us (Galatians 5) and he wants us to be involved in taking the gospel of Christ to the world.

How is thankfulness toward God a part of his work in us? Our verse says, “abounding therein (in the faith) with thanksgiving.”

Do you sometimes feel “stuck” in your walk with God? Has your vibrancy grown stale? Do you want your faith to abound rather than remain at a standstill?

Once again, thanksgiving plays a major role in helping us become an established, growing, abundant, fruitful Christian. He says we will abound in the faith through thanksgiving.

Why don’t you and I make it a point to be actively thankful every day, verbally expressing our appreciation to our Lord for his uncountable blessings? Then, we will thrive in his fruitfulness.