Monday: Rooted and Growing in Christ
Daily Lesson for Monday 2nd of March 2026
The theme of Colossians is one of the clearest maxims for living the Christian life: “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6, NKJV). We receive salvation by receiving a Person, not just a body of teachings. But receiving Jesus also includes accepting all His teachings, as given through the apostles and prophets of the Bible (see Ephesians 2:20).
More than anything else, accepting Christ means a death to self, a complete surrender of self to the living Christ.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
The Living Word (Jesus) cannot be separated from the Written Word (the Bible). They are two sides of the same coin. In fact, only through Scripture can we know Jesus. We “walk” or live our lives “in Him,” meaning that we allow His Word and His Spirit to guide us in all our decisions and practices.
In Colossians 2:7, Paul employs a common biblical metaphor that likens Christians to plants. We become rooted in Christ by accepting Him as our Savior and ordering our life according to His Word. That is how we become “established in the faith.”
How do the following passages illuminate the plant metaphor as a symbol of believers? (See Isaiah 61:3, Matthew 3:10, Luke 8:11-15, 1 Corinthians 3:6.)
Paul clearly delineates the two alternatives open to believers. One is to remain a “planting of the Lord” (Isaiah 61:3) and continue being complete in Christ by holding on to Him and His teachings. The other could be likened to an artificial plant that may look real but is actually lifeless. By adopting human philosophies and traditions, we are taken “captive” (Colossians 2:8, ESV). Although Christ has set us free, it is possible to be enslaved again with a yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1; compare Acts 15:10).
In short, accepting unbiblical teachings means rejecting Christ, because those who buy into false teachings have, unfortunately, adopted a different gospel and have accepted human authorities over the authority of Scripture (see Galatians 1:6-9). This was a danger in the early church and remains so today.
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What has been your own experience with what it means to die to self in order to receive Christ? Why must that be a continual process? |
Christian life is a growth process. Once we accept the salvation of Jesus Christ, we are required not to be static but to grow till fruition. Growth brings stability, stability brings maturity and maturity brings fruition. As a plant cannot grow unless it is rooted in the soil that supplies nutrients without which the plant will not survive. Paul using the same metaphor, Paul reminds the Colossians to grow in their salvation. The growth only comes through a union with Christ. This union will bring stability by being rooted in the truth. The growth will be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Fruition will be manifested by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Authentic Christian life is organic, dynamic and transformational. Spiritual stagnation is spiritually dangerous (Hebrews 6:7–8). We cannot be perpetually spiritual infants. Spiritual infants are carried and tossed by every wind of false teaching (Ephesians 4:14). The only way by which we can be protected from the rampant deceptions in the world today is to be deeply rooted in Christ where all treasures of wisdom, knowledge and understanding are hidden (Colossians 2:3-4). It is essential to note that our spiritual growth is enabled by God through the Holy Spirit, but it requires our participation. Spiritual fruitlessness is a dangerous option (Matthew 21:18-19). Jesus is looking to us to see our Christian life come to fruition, otherwise a day is coming when He will declare, “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23, NIV).
Amen, amen and amen!!!
Thank you for those inspired words.
To accomplish those things, we must want them, and our want has to be a hungering and thirsting for them (righteousness). We must beg the Holy Spirit for them, as the bible says in Ephesians 6:18. This will only happen if we beg the Spirit to do for us what the bible says in Romans 12:1,2. Thus, our prayers must be focused and deliberate.
My prayer is, “Holy Spirit, I give you permission to fill me, to use me as you choose, to fix my motives, my likes and dislikes, to refocus my eyes, to retune my ears so that I could be guided by you daily, when I turn to the righthand side and to the left. Holy Spirit, give me a teachable Spirit, bring people into my life who will help me to grow spiritual, so that my life would be intuned with God’s will and whatsoever I do, I will do it to bring honor to God.”
Thank you Jesus. Thank you Holy Spirit.
After studying this lesson, these instructions came to my mind:
John 15:1-14
1. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
9. “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
12. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
14. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
….. And Christ’s instructions are more than enough for us!!!!!
The lesson today talks about the teachings of Jesus and their importance for us Christians. Have you ever tried to summarise Jesus’ teachings? We often try to tease the details out, thinking that his big secret is hidden in the fine print. But often we overlook the big picture.
Here are some things to think about:
The biggest condemnation that Jesus gives during his ministry is for those who profess some sort of relationship with God but who do not accept its values. That is sin.
I think about that last one everytime I contemplate Jesus’ teachings. I think of myself as religious – am I a hypocrite?
Every plant thrives in a specific location and environment, just as we do. Shade-loving plants wither in harsh sunlight, while sun-loving plants struggle in the shadows. In the same way, we flourish when we are rooted where we were designed to grow. Christ, our Gardener, is deeply concerned with our root development. He is intentional about helping us spread our roots so we can withstand life’s fiercest storms and winds. Where do we find stability and solitude when uncertainty, fear, and doubt surround us? The apostle Paul answers this question: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6–7). This is more than a comforting sentiment; it is a call to action a divine blueprint for a faith so firmly grounded in Christ that it remains unshaken and overflows with gratitude even in adversity.
The psalmist paints a similar picture in Book of Psalms, describing “a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:3). A tree planted by the stream draws constant nourishment and strength from its source, enabling it to remain firm regardless of harsh conditions. In the same way, we must allow our roots to grow deep into Christ. This happens as we spend intentional time in prayer, meditate on His Word, and sit at His feet in every season of life. As Jeremiah declares in the book of Book of Jeremiah, “They will be like a tree planted by the water… It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green” (Jeremiah 17:8). When our roots reach deeply into His love, grace, and truth, we gain resilience that is not dependent on circumstances.
Building on Christ requires total surrender. It means releasing our own plans and trusting His perfect will. It calls us to align our lives with His teachings and to make Him the center of everything we do. We must honestly ask ourselves: What areas of our lives need to be rebuilt on the foundation of Christ? Surrender also means allowing God the time to expand our spiritual roots, increasing our stability and strengthening our faith. When Christ is our foundation and our source, we are not easily shaken. Instead, we stand firm, deeply rooted and securely grounded, able to weather every storm with confidence and thanksgiving.
Shalom fellow Saints, as I studied this lesson this song by Acapella came to mind. Hope it blesses you as it did me:
♪♪ https://youtu.be/AaXJbFTrZZc?si=qdItJc9eGEYG1w91 ♪♪
The picture today reminds me of what Pastor Don Holand, Emaritus told our Sabbath School class years ago. If you ask Christ into the chambers of your heart He fills it completely with light, thus there is no room for darkness. Praise The Lord.
Psalms 150:1-2.
My most profound experience as a young person growing up in the Seventh-Day Adventist church is the growing discovery that “the Just shall live by faith”. That if I spend quality time with Jesus on a daily basis , not simply looking for information so that I can show off my Theological brilliance, but growing to know to Him, love Him and trust in Him ; I would be empowered to do miraculous feats, such as, the ability to stop telling lies, not coveting my neighbours goods or wife or any thing that belongs to my neighbour ; and even keeping the Sabbath Day holy. Please forgive me if I sound repituous- His Grace still amazes me.
Abiding in God and He abiding in us dispels evil from our hearts and minds just like what the picture in today’s lessons shows.My prayer is that We will abide in Him and He in us. Amen!
When a seed goes into the earth in order for it to produce good fruit it needs care.The seed first must die I see that as our water baptism we are buried in Christ’s death. Then the dead seed by a miracle germinates I see that as The Holy Spirit giving life the new birth and so the young plant starts to push against the soil and the sun and rain allows for that plant to succeed. Is the plant causing itself to grow? No. The One who planted the seed has taken responsibility to nourish and care for the plant from start to finish. We must stay pliable in the hands of the One who takes charge of us. He won’t make a mistake.
What is the core of Jesus Christ, His life and His teachings? Jesus, as recorded in John 10:30, declares: ”I and the Father are one.” They are not one in body, but rather unified by the Spirit of God’s Love present in both.
God’s Truth is unassailable! By copying the whole passage, I want to encourage the reader to meditate on the importance of this by the Spirit revealed Truth. Accordingly, Christian Unity – rooted and growing in Christ – is by His Spirit, making us one with the Father as we are found in Jesus Christ’s Love for the Father.
Being found in Jesus Christ reveals God’s Glory –
John 17:20-24
”I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
I have given them the Glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one – I in them and You in Me – that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.
Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the Glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
A couple comments – I don’t know if I agree that accepting unbiblical teachings means automatically rejecting Christ. It may, but it depends on how much one knows and one’s attitude. My paradigm of sin = rebellion probably relates here. Are you accepting an unbiblical teaching out of incomplete knowledge or are struggling to understand something or is the belief a rebellion against God? I think it makes a difference.
Also, if we have to die to self to receive Christ, I don’t think any of us would have any hope. How can we even make that choice apart from the power of the Holy Spirit? Our choice is to unite ourselves with Christ and die with Him in baptism. In a sense, we have died to self at this moment, but the working out of this process will take time as Jesus works in our life. We do have to surrender to Jesus so that we become more like Him. This is an ongoing process which is part of sanctification. But the death to the old man in Christ does seem to be a one time thing, at least for most. In Romans 6, Paul reminds his readers that they have died to sin in baptism. He doesn’t tell them to die again, but to live according to what has happened. That is why I believe it’s generally inappropriate to be rebaptized under most ordinary circumstances.
There’s more I could say about this, but I won’t as I don’t want another long post.
What does it mean to “die to self”? It suggests that true control comes not from our genetics, emotions, or social status, but from a profound internalized guidance that often differs from our natural inclinations. Rather than indicating schizophrenia, to die to self involves yielding to the voice of the Divine, urging us to transcend our egos and embrace a higher purpose.