I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith, and overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:7 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Receiving Yeshua as Lord, accepting His authority over my life, I am called to walk in Him because I am firmly rooted and being built up and established in faith. This causes my gratitude to overflow. I’m not loosely rooted that I might fall out of the ground or be pulled up. My roots are firm and solid, strong against the seasons. I am not fully grown nor fully established, but I am a work in progress as each brick is laid and each leaf begins to bud. Each day as I learn more about Him I grow more. And everything He teaches me and everything He does for me and through me causes my gratitude, my thankfulness and appreciation to overflow, spilling into the lives of others. Or at least, it should.
I am qualified to share in His inheritance. Colossians 1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. I had to go look up the word “inheritance” to see what the actual Greek means. It means a portion or a lot. Digging deeper, I found verses in Romans, Acts, and other New Testament books that give a little more insight. We share in Christ’s suffering and also in His glory. We are heirs with Him of Abraham’s promises/covenant. We will eventually reign with Him. And more simply, we inherit salvation and eternal life. I am not qualified on my own. I am qualified because God qualifies me and says that I am worthy. That’s pretty neat.
I am reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, To reconcile means to accommodate: make (one thing) compatible with (another) harmonize: bring into consonance or accord; come to terms; So, because of Yeshua’s sacrifice I am compatible with God, I am harmonized – in accord/agreement – with God, I have come to terms with God. I like the harmonized one. Harmony is counterpoint to the melody. If sung or played properly, it adds dimension and beauty to a piece of music. Done poorly, it clashes and makes the listener cringe. Being reconciled is like being a good harmony. I am there to make His melody even more beautiful and to support His ends. We fit together.
I am free from condemnation! Romans 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The word for condemnation means penalty. Yeshua paid our penalty when He died. So, no matter what, if we accept His sacrifice, we accept His payment for our punishment. He already paid our bills! We could try and pay them again and again and again, but that would be silly. Paying them again isn’t going to do anything, except waste money. If I am in Him then I am not condemned, and my punishment is paid. There is nothing left. Does that mean I can do whatever I want? No. In order to glorify my maker, to honor His sacrifice, and to be useful to His plan, I still have to follow His commands. For Sha’ul, this meant following the Torah (he was still writing the “New Testament” remember?). Just because I am under grace, it doesn’t mean that I am not accountable to God’s way of living. There is freedom and accountability.
I am alive in Christ! Ephesians 2:5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) I am alive! I am not dead! I breathe, I move, I change, I learn, I grow, I bear fruit, I am a blessing! In Hebrew anything that doesn’t move and change is dead. Even God changes. His essential makeup remains the same: his grace, mercy, love, justice. Yet, He does change – turning from His wrath to embrace mercy and forgiveness. Alive is defined: possessing life; animated: having life or vigor or spirit; active: in operation; alert: mentally perceptive and responsive; capable of erupting I like that last one – capable of erupting… how alive am I? Do I erupt with life and joy and mercy and passion for Him? Am I animated, full of life and vigor? Am I mentally alert and active? Christianity, following Christ to our Father’s throne is not a miserable existence. It bring and causes life to explode! If these things don’t characterize our lives… are we truly alive?
I am crucified with Christ Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I am not literally crucified, but in Him, I am covered in His blood and, as He arose, He allowed me to live in His ability and strength. I am not subject to what I used to be or do, but rather am alive in Christ, becoming holy as I seek Him.
I am complete in Him. Colossians 2:10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; According to one online dictionary (Wordnik.com), complete means: –adjective Having all necessary or normal parts, components, or steps; entire: a complete meal. Botany Having all principal parts, namely, the sepals, petals, stamens, and pistil or pistils. Used of a flower. Having come to an end; concluded. Absolute; total: “In Cairo I have seen buildings which were falling down as they were being put up, buildings whose incompletion was complete” ( William H. Gass). Skilled; accomplished: a complete musician. Thorough; consummate: a complete coward. I have all necessary parts; I am the total of what I was made to be; I am skilled; I am thoroughly His. There is nothing lacking in the way He made me. There is nothing missing or needing to be added. In Him, all the gifts and skills He gave me are brought to fullness and readiness to be used. On my own, I am incomplete, but in Him, He finishes off the rough edges and fills in the gaps in my ability. He made me perfectly, perfectly incomplete until He fits the hole and makes me whole.