I
want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at
Laodicea, and for many other friends who have never known me personally.
My goal is
that they will be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I
want them to have full confidence because they have complete understanding
of God's secret plan, which is Christ himself.
In
him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am telling you
this so that no one will be able to deceive you with persuasive arguments.
For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I am very
happy because you are living as you should and because of your strong
faith in Christ. And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord,
you must continue to live in obedience to him. Let your roots grow down
into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith,
strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow
with thanksgiving for all he has done. Don't let anyone lead you astray
with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human
thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ. For
in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you are complete
through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and
authority in the universe.
(Colossians 2:1-10 NLT).
We have just
returned from a wonderful vacation to San Francisco and Sonoma Valley. We
did some sightseeing while we were there, though most of the time was
spent doing absolutely nothing. One of the tours we took was very
interesting. We visited Muir Woods, home to some of California’s giant
Redwoods. If you have been to Yosemite or Sequoia National Park you have
enjoyed the beauty of these majestic Redwoods. They are so huge that cars
can drive through them. Pictures cannot do them justice in their majesty.
A quiet walk through the canopy of redwoods is a wonderful way to spend
some time.
There is an
interesting fact about these trees. They reach so high you can't see the
tops, however they have a very shallow root system. The roots practically
lay on top of the ground. When you consider the height and weight of the
trees and the high winds in the mountains, it is amazing that these trees
don't come crashing down during the first storm. The answer is in the
forest itself.
The forest saves the
trees. It is the grove factor, the trees growing in
proximity to one another help the great Redwoods to withstand nature's
onslaught. What happens is the roots reach out in all directions and they
get tangled up with the roots from other Redwoods. The roots grow
together, intertwining with each other and creating a stabilizing root bed
that helps each tree continue to stand. A lone Redwood tree growing alone
wouldn't last long, but a Redwood forest can last for thousands of years.
That's the way it
should be with us as believers. We need to be
"knit together in
love" to grow strong, to be stable and to be able to stand
as Christians. God has established the forest, which we call the church in
which we are to grow. We sink our roots into the local body and become
entwined with each other's lives. Then when the storms of life start
blowing, we too, are stabilized and able to withstand the winds of
affliction, temptation and persecution. The church should be our second
family. They are that important to our stability. Root yourself in a
strong family!
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