Dead plant
Image: Essow K on Pexels
A few months ago I brought a new plant for our garden where I wanted to grow something. I did my research and found just the right thing in a local garden centre.
When home, I dug a suitable hole, inserted the plant, then gave it a good watering. I continued to water it regularly and after a few weeks it started to grow. I was rather pleased with myself!
However, a few weeks ago we went away on holiday (during the first of the recent heatwaves), and when we returned I discovered that the plant had died. I was very upset as it had been doing so well. The other plants, shrubs and trees in the garden were all fine.
Then I realised that with the extreme heat and lack of watering, this new plant was not established. Unlike the older, mature plants, it’s roots were not as deep, and so it did not survive.
This was a powerful illustration to me of the Christian journey. In the Bible, Paul wrote this in his letter to the Colossians…
“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.”
Paul identified that the Christian faith is not just about saying ‘yes’ to Jesus, that is the start of something, a new beginning.
We are encouraged to grow in our faith, so that we live out this new life as a Christian. Therefore, we need to take time to intentionally nurture and cultivate our relationship with Jesus.
Putting in some kind of rhythm/routine can really help, such as praying and studying the Bible a little each day. This helps our roots to go deep and strengthen our faith.
As well as doing our own thing, it’s great to connect with other believers, especially those who have been followers of Jesus for many years, as they can share from their experiences.
As Paul wrote, let me encourage you to ‘continue to live your lives in him’, so that you may grow, flourish and thrive and not become like my unfortunate plant in the garden.
God bless you:)
Gary Bastin
Hope Community Church leader