“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.”
How do you keep going to meet long-term goals?
Most of us enjoy seeing quick results.
We like projects that can be finished in an afternoon and goals that can be accomplished in a few weeks. When progress is visible, we feel encouraged. When it is slow, we begin to wonder if anything is happening at all. I know I’ve gone on diets several times and, for me, it’s not that hard to stick to the diet if I’m consistently losing weight. If I plateau or gain weight, it’s a lot harder.
Spiritual growth doesn’t usually happen quickly.
There are certainly moments when God works in dramatic ways, but more often He works steadily and slowly over years. As you look back, you begin to notice that your trust in Him is deeper than it once was, your understanding of His Word is clearer, or your response to life’s challenges has gradually changed. At the time, however, those changes are often difficult to see.
Paul uses two pictures to describe this kind of growth.
First, he speaks of a tree that is “rooted” in Christ. Roots are hidden beneath the surface. You can’t watch them grow, yet they are what give the tree stability during drought, wind, and storms. Without deep roots, even a healthy-looking tree can be toppled. As a Christian, you are firmly rooted in Jesus.
Then Paul changes the image and speaks of a building “being built up” in Christ. A solid building doesn’t begin with the roof or the walls. It begins with a foundation. Much of the work that gives a building strength is hidden before anyone notices the finished structure.
Both images remind us of the same truth: God is often doing His most important work where we cannot immediately see it.
That is why Paul begins with these words:
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.”
How did you receive Christ?
Not by your own effort nor by proving yourself worthy. You received Him as a gift through the Gospel. The Holy Spirit created faith through God’s Word and joined you to Christ in Baptism. That seed of the Gospel was planted and watered and took root.
Paul says that is also how you continue.
The Christian life is not a matter of beginning with grace and then growing by your own determination. The same Christ who brought you to faith continues to sustain you through His means of grace. Week after week, He speaks through His Word. He strengthens through His Sacraments. He forgives, nourishes, and preserves His people. He also gives us moments to learn and trials to walk through.
Growth comes not by moving beyond these gifts, but by returning to them again and again.
That can feel ordinary. Hearing another sermon. Reading another chapter of Scripture. Coming once more to the Lord’s Table. Facing another difficult moment where you learn to trust a little more.
Yet these ordinary gifts are how God sends roots deeper into Christ and builds you up.
So if you ever wonder whether you’re growing as a Christian, don’t measure only by dramatic experiences or visible accomplishments.
Instead, ask a different question.
Am I continuing to receive the gifts Christ delights to give?
Because wherever His Word is heard, wherever His promises are believed, wherever His Sacraments are received in faith, He is at work.
And don’t compare yourself to yesterday. Look back a year or a decade. The daily walk has its ups and downs, but over time as you continued to feed at His table, be nourished by His Word, and strengthened by the trials, you may notice some maturing, that you are being more and more established in the faith, abounding in thanksgiving.
Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for planting me firmly in Christ. When I become impatient with my spiritual growth or discouraged because I cannot see it, remind me that You are always at work through Your Word and Sacraments.
Deepen my roots in Your Son. Build my faith on the sure foundation of His promises. Keep me returning again and again to the gifts through which You strengthen and preserve me.
May my life bear fruit in Your time, all to Your glory.
Through Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
