aBible.com     

Colossians 2:6, 7 - Living In Christ.

Colossians 2:6, 7 (NIV) So then, just as you 
received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your 
lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, 
strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and 
overflowing with thankfulness. 

Colossians 2:6, 7 (NLT) And now, just as you 
accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue 
to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into 
him, and let your lives be built on him. Then 
your faith will grow strong in the truth you were 
taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. 

Colossians 2:6, 7 (TEV) Since you have 
accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with 
him. 7 Keep your roots deep in him, build your 
lives on him, and become stronger in your faith, 
as you were taught.  And be filled with 
thanksgiving. 

Colossians 2:6, 7 (TLB) And now just as you 
trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each 
day's problems; live in vital union with him. 7 
Let your roots grow down into him and draw up 
nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the 
Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth 
you were taught. Let your lives overflow with 
joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   God doesnt want you to have just any 
faith. He wants you to have a strong and vigorous 
faith - not a wimpy faith that collapses when 
things get tough. 
   The Bible says in Colossians 2:7, Let 
your roots grow down into him, and let your lives 
be built on him. Then your faith will grow 
strong in the truth you were taught, and you will 
overflow with thankfulness (NLT). 
   How does God grow a strong faith like 
that? 
   The first way God grows your faith is 
through his Word. He wants you to know the Bible - 
to read the Bible, listen to the Bible, study 
the Bible, memorize the Bible, and talk about 
the Bible. Why? Because Gods Word says, 
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of 
God (Romans 1:17 NKJV). 
   If your faith is weak, youre likely 
not in the Bible very often. But the more 
youre in Gods book, the more it will feed your 
soul. Gods Word is soul food, and spending time 
in it is the easiest way to grow your faith. 
   The second way God grows your faith is 
the hard way - and thats through 
circumstances that test you. While you may read the Bible 
only a little bit each day, you have things 
happening all around you 24 hours a day. Your 
circumstances are what God most often uses to grow your 
faith and build your character. 
   Faith is like a muscle. You don't grow 
muscle without some sort of resistance. The only 
way you grow a muscle is by stretching it, 
testing it, and putting weight on it. The same is 
true with faith. You don't grow faith just by 
sitting around and saying, Oh, I want more 
faith. Faith needs to be tested. So God allows 
circumstances in your life to build your faith muscle. 
   Because God cares so much about your 
faith, you can know that he will always answer this 
prayer: Increase our faith (Luke 17:5 NIV). 
Make that your prayer as God grows your faith 
through his Word and through circumstances that test 
you. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

COMMENTARY

So, then, as you have received Christ Jesus 
the Lord, live your life in him.  Continue to 
remain firmly rooted, and go on being built up in 
him. Continue to be established more and more 
firmly in the faith, as you were taught it, and to 
overflow with thanksgiving. Col 2:6,7 (Barclay) 

In the true Church life must be in Christ. 
Its members must walk in Christ; their whole 
lives must be lived in his conscious presence. 
They must be rooted and built in him.  There are 
two pictures here. The word used for rooted is 
the word which would be used of a tree with its 
roots deep in the soil. The word used for built is 
the word which would be used of a house erected 
on a firm foundation. Just as the great tree is 
deep-rooted in the soil and draws its nourishment from 
it, so the Christian is rooted in Christ, the 
source of his life and strength. Just as the house 
stands fast because it is built on strong 
foundations, so the Christian life is resistant to any 
storm because it is founded on the strength of 
Christ. Christ is alike the source of the 
Christian's life and the foundation of his stability. 
[Barclay's Commentary] 

The same faith that we exercised when we 
turned our life over to God is to be used daily as 
we walk with God.  Paul urges us to improve our 
conscious contact with God, so that his power will be 
at work within us, filling us with joy and 
thanksgiving.  Without God's power feeding into our life, 
we are at the mercy of our destructive habits 
and dependencies.  [Life Recovery SB] 

   Our growth in grace, our joy, our 
usefulness,--all depend upon our union with Christ. It is by 
communion with Him, daily, hourly,--by abiding in Him, 
--that we are to grow in grace. He is not only the 
Author, but the Finisher of our faith. It is Christ 
first and last and always. He is to be with us, 
not only at the beginning and the end of our 
course, but at every step of the way..... 
   Consecrate yourself to God in the 
morning; make this your very first work. Let your 
prayer be, "Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay 
all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy 
service. Abide with me, and let all my work be 
wrought in Thee." This is a daily matter. Each 
morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. 
Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or 
given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus 
day by day you may be giving your life into the 
hands of God, and thus your life will be molded 
more and more after the life of Christ.  SC69-71 

   I have heard that if you walk three times 
a day at a brisk pace, it can help keep you in 
good shape physically. You wont move as 
quickly as you move when you are running. Walking is 
a regulated motion, but as you do it, you make 
progress. You move forward gradually. 
   If we want to abide in Jesus, we must 
walk as He walked. The Bible says, He who says 
he abides in Him ought himself also to walk 
just as He walked (1 John 2:6). 
   Walking with God is a picture the Bible 
often uses to describe the Christian life. 
Galatians 5:16 says, Walk in the Spirit, and you 
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 
Colossians 2:6 tells us, As you therefore have 
received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. 
And in Micah 6:8 we read, He has shown you, O 
man, what is good; and what does the Lord require 
of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to 
walk humbly with your God? 
   Again and again the Bible tells us that 
we need to walk with God. Its something we 
need to commit ourselves to. An interesting verse 
in Amos 3 gives us an important aspect of 
walking with God: Can two walk together, unless 
they are agreed? (verse 3). 
   In the original language, the term 
together carries the concept of two people moving as 
a single unit. To walk with God means moving 
together as a single unit. We are united toward the 
same goal. We are putting our strength toward the 
same end. We are moving together at the same 
pace. 
   To walk with God means that we are moving 
in harmony with Him. We are staying close to 
Him. It is the same concept as abiding. [Greg 
Laurie from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com re 1 John 2:6] 

   When my wife and I go on walks together 
every now and then, I tend to walk a little faster 
than she does. So she says, Greg, slow down. 
Lets walk together. 
   Or, if Im walking with one of my 
grandchildren, Ill slow down my pace so Ill be in 
sync with them. 
   In the same way, walking with God 
doesnt mean asking Him to keep pace with us. 
Rather, were choosing to keep pace with Him, to 
be in sync with Him. And theres no greater 
way to walk with God than to walk in love. 
   Ephesians 5:2 tells us, Walk in love, 
as Christ also has loved us and given Himself 
for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a 
sweet-smelling aroma (NKJV). Then Colossians 2:6 says, 
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the 
Lord, so walk in Him (NKJV). 
   Over the years I have found myself far 
more impressed with character than charisma, with 
persistence than power, and with faithfulness than fame. 
I have found that maybe the greatest ability 
of all is dependability. 
   As the years have passed, Ive seen a 
lot of very gifted people essentially 
self-destruct for no real reason. They have a gifting from 
God and start off with a bang. But then they go 
off the rails. 
   Others start something like a marriage, 
and then it gets difficult. It isnt as easy 
as they hoped it would be. So they give up. Or 
they start a career, and it didnt go as they 
hoped it would. Or they want to go to school, but 
they dont complete it. And sadly, there are 
even people who make a profession of faith but 
then turn away later. 
   We want to make each day count. We want 
to walk in sync with God and finish what we 
begin. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

   The best thing about building our lives 
on a foundation of faith is that when life 
doesn't make sense, we can still have peace. There 
are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep 
valleys of despair. Even if everything on earth is 
broken, we can still have joy because of faith. 
Faith takes us beyond circumstances, beyond 
answers, and beyond what we see. 
   We can count on God to work actively in 
our lives, building our faith. Even the smallest 
bit of faith honors God, and he waters and 
nourishes it. What a beautiful gift! Thank God and let 
him strengthen your heart even more. Look for 
people, events in the world, and passages of 
Scripture that feed your faith. [The Daniel Plan 
365-Day Devotional] 

ILLUSTRATION

   My wife and I often joke about having the 
gift of a black thumb. Each year, our goals 
for a healthy and vibrant garden are very high, 
yet rarely if ever has that initial goal led to 
the fruitful harvest we envision disappointment 
is the inevitable outcome. Though there may be 
multiple reasons for this challenge, there is one 
that stands out above the rest: neglect.  
   In the midst of work schedules, parenting 
three young children, and frequent travel during 
the spring and summer months, our poor backyard 
garden doesnt stand a chance. Though it may 
start off strong, we arent able to continue to 
provide the attention and care it needs to thrive 
and flourish. However, the few times that we 
have had success with this garden, it has been 
because we were able to prioritize and build into 
our lives ongoing and intentional care and 
nurture, ensuring the healthy beginning continued 
day-by-day, week-by-week.  
   This image of a healthy and thriving 
garden can be directly applied to our spiritual 
lives and the need for continual growth into 
Christs likeness. As St. Paul reminds us, just as 
you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to 
live your lives in him. Our initial reception 
of the Lord Jesus is a profound and wonderful 
mystery. It is the joy of new life, freedom from sin 
and death, and the hope of resurrection life in 
Christ. Yet our Christian lives are meant to be so 
much more than a one-time encounter with the 
Lord!  
   Jesus desires to not only give us the 
hope of eternal life but the joy of living every 
single day as his beloved sons and daughters. The 
new life that begins in our conversion is meant 
to grow and flourish, yielding the fruit of the 
Spirit in countlessly beautiful ways. Yet for this 
to be true, we mustnt neglect the continual 
care and nurture of our spiritual health! Like an 
attentive and faithful gardener, we too must daily 
attend to the health of our souls and our 
relationship with God and with one another.  
   Spiritual neglect leads to spiritual 
sickness. Thinking you are okay on your own or only 
need Jesus from time to time is a sure recipe for 
failure. Root yourself today and every day in the 
soil of salvation, trusting that the Spirit of 
God will bring about an abundant and fruitful 
harvest! [Wisdom Hunters Devotional] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

   God wants you to focus on growing, 
sowing, and going in faith. 
   First, God wants you to grow in faith. He 
doesnt want you to be a spiritual baby. The Bible 
says in Colossians 2:7: Let your roots grow 
down into him, and let your lives be built on 
him. Then your faith will grow strong in the 
truth you were taught, and you will overflow with 
thankfulness (NLT). 
   God also wants you to sow in faith. He 
wants you to learn to become generous - because 
you cannot become like Christ without becoming 
generous. The Bible says, Remember this: Whoever 
sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and 
whoever sows generously will also reap generously 
(2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV). 
   This is the law of sowing and reaping, 
and its true in every area of life. If you 
sow criticism, youre going to reap criticism. 
If you sow love, youll reap love. If you sow 
kindness, you will reap kindness. And you always reap 
more than you sow. When you plant one corn kernel 
in the ground, you dont get one kernel back. 
You get a whole stalk. You always get back more 
- positive or negative - of what you put out 
in life. 
   Then, God wants you to go in faith.
   Hebrews 11:8 says, It was by faith 
Abraham obeyed Gods call to go to another place 
God promised to give him. He left his own 
country, not knowing where he was to go (NCV). 
   Would you do that? Abraham was in his 
retirement phase, just about to hang it up and settle 
down. Then God said, No, dust yourself off, and 
get ready for the greatest journey of your 
life. When you live by faith, it involves going, 
often to places you were never planning to go. 
   Why is it so important for you to develop 
your faith? The Bible explains it over and over 
again: 
   Without faith it is impossible to 
please God (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). 
   Let it be done for you according to 
your faith. (Matthew 9:29 CSB). 
   Anything that is not done in faith is 
sin (Romans 14:23 GW). 
   Everything God does in your life is does 
by his grace and through your faith. [Daily 
Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

   Continue to live in Me, rooted and built 
up in Me - and overflowing with thankfulness. 
The relationship you have with Me is unlike any 
other. You live in Me, and I live in you. You never 
go anywhere without Me! This amazing degree of 
connectedness with Me provides a rock-solid foundation for 
your life. I want you to continue building on 
this foundation - living in joyful awareness of 
My Presence.  
   Thankfulness provides some of the most 
important building blocks for your life. The more of 
these blocks you use as you build, the better your 
life-experience will be. Thankfulness enlarges the capacity 
of your heart for abundant Joy. It also helps 
you endure suffering without falling into 
despair or self-pity. No matter what is happening, 
you can always thank Me for your eternal 
salvation and My unfailing Love. These are constant, 
unchangeable blessings. Other blessings - such as your 
relationships, your finances, your health - may change 
quite frequently. I encourage you to count both 
types of blessings until you overflow with 
thankfulness! (Col. 2:6, 7; 1:27; Psa. 13:5, 6) [Jesus 
Always by Sarah Young] 

   Trust and thankfulness will get you 
safely through this day. Trust protects you from 
worrying and obsessing. Thankfulness keeps you from 
criticizing and complaining: those "sister sins" that so 
easily entangle you. 
   Keeping your eyes on Me is the same thing 
as trusting Me. It is a free choice that you 
must make thousands of times daily. The more you 
choose to trust Me, the easier it becomes. Thought 
patterns of trust become etched into your brain. 
Relegate troubles to the periphery of your mind, so 
that I can be central in your thoughts. Thus you 
focus on Me, entrusting your concerns into My 
care. (Col. 2:6, 7; Psa. 141:8; 1Pe. 5:7) [Jesus 
Calling by Sarah Young] 

   Ask Me to increase your thankfulness. 
This will brighten your day and open your heart 
to Me. Seek to "see" Me in the midst of your 
circumstances. Look for signs of My unseen Presence as you 
walk along the path of Life. Gratefulness opens 
not only your heart but also your eyes. When you 
know Me intimately, you can find Me in myriad 
tiny details as well as in the big picture of 
your life. Take time to notice all My blessings - 
small and large - and to thank Me for them. This 
practice will help you enjoy My many gifts.  
   Ask Me also to train you in trusting Me 
more consistently. Well-developed trust enables 
you to go across treacherous terrain without 
stumbling. The more challenging your journey, the more 
frequently you need to voice your confidence in Me. You 
can pray, "Lord, I trust in Your unfailing 
Love." This short prayer reminds you that I am with 
you, I am taking care of you, and I love you 
forever. Rejoice, beloved, for I am truly worthy of 
your thankfulness and trust. (Col. 2:6, 7; Psa. 
16:11; 52:8) [Jesus Always by Sarah Young] 

SPECIAL APPLICATION FOR COUPLES

   You can do many different things to keep 
your marriage growing. You can show affection, 
act unselfishly, and forgive each other. But by 
far the most important decision you and your 
spouse can make in your marriage is to remain 
committed to following Jesus together. 
   The Bible says, Keep your roots deep 
in him, build your lives on him, and become 
stronger in your faith (Colossians 2:7 GNT). Both 
you and your spouse may have committed your 
lives to Jesus at some point, but you need to ask 
yourself, Are we continuing to live out our faith 
as a couple? 
   Here are some practical ways you can 
follow Jesus together (many of these ideas can 
apply to other family relationships too): 
   1. Get baptized together. If you 
havent done so already, publicly identify yourself 
as a Christian. If Jesus is going to be the 
center of your marriage, it only makes sense that 
you both tell the world youre following him. 
I love to see husbands and wives get baptized 
together. Its a wonderful way to declare youre 
committing your lives and marriage to Jesus. 
   2. Get in a small group together. 
Challenge your marriage spiritually by connecting with 
other Christian couples. As you learn together to 
apply Gods Word to your marriages and lives, 
youll sharpen one another spiritually. Youll 
also be challenging each other to serve in 
ministry and share your faith regularly. Growing as a 
follower of Christ and as a spouse requires 
consistent accountability from other believers. 
   3. Renew your wedding vows. If youve 
committed your life to Jesus or renewed your 
commitment in a meaningful way since you first said 
your wedding vows, consider renewing those vows. 
Its likely theyll mean something different to 
you today. 
   4. Pray for and with each other. Make 
this your common practice: Confess your sins to 
each other and pray for each other so that you 
can live together whole and healed (James 
5:16 The Message). Who doesnt want a marriage 
where you live together whole and healed? The 
Bible says this can happen when you confess to one 
another when youre wrong and pray for and with 
each other. 
   5. Follow Gods Word. When couples read 
Gods Word together and apply it to their lives, 
it transforms their relationship and 
establishes a firm foundation for a lifetime together. 
   Your marriage may be going through a 
difficult season, but theres still hope. Your 
marriage can find life again. But it has to start 
with you putting Jesus at the center of it. Do 
what God tells you to do in his Word, and your 
marriage can start growing again.  
   Jesus is the glue for any marriage. When 
everything else is tearing you apart and you feel like 
giving up, he will hold you together. [Daily 
Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE

Colossians 2:6, 7 - How To Live In Christ.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2015/20151206-1407.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: 
https://stepstopeace.org/ 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study 
Guides: 
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible 

Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug 
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/  

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657  

Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The 
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE