Limb By Limb

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7

I enjoy working on improving our yard each spring.  About two years ago, I planted several Leland Cypresses and a Weeping Willow in our backyard.  I came across an old photo of the kids playing in the yard and couldn't help but notice how much the trees have begun to grow.  It got me thinking, just like picking out the right spot for trees to have optimal growth, we also need to plant our roots firmly around God’s Word and will for our lives.

If you are like me, you have no problem turning over the bigger issues to God.  That’s great, but God wants us to trust Him with every detail of our lives.   When we focus on our circumstances, we take our focus off of Jesus Christ.  We must learn to keep our focus on God’s presence at all times, during every circumstance, every moment of the day.

Jesus made the ultimate love sacrifice to save us from certain death and He can be trusted in every facet of our lives!

Walkin'

For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.  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. Colossians 2: 5-7

It seems like yesterday that our youngest son, Elijah, was transitioning from crawling to walking, but now a very active three-year-old.  Many Christians associate faith with their salvation experience, but after we enter into a relationship with Christ, we must learn to walk with Him the remainder of our days on this earth.

We live in a performance driven society and many Christians also view their Christian life the same way.  God is not as concerned with our individual performance as He is with our faith.  When you think about it, we receive Christ in faith, so why would that change once we begin our walk with the Lord?

So what does walking with Christ entail?  We must learn to plant our roots in Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and build our foundation through obedience.  Finally, and over time, we must trust Him, which ultimately makes our faith grow exponentially.

Walking in Christ is a continuous process that will more than likely last the remainder of your lifetime, but as you trust God and your faith grows stronger, you will live in the stability of His love and blessings regardless of any circumstance you face.