Fear stifles our thinking and actions. It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation. I have known talented people who procrastinate indefinitely rather than risk failure. Lost opportunities cause erosion of confidence, and the downward spiral begins. Charles Stanley

Our Progress in the Lord

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Colossians 2:6-7

In the workforce, we are often subjected to progress reports where our achievements and goals are recognized by our employers. Most of us work hard to achieve good results and are pleased when we get a good report. Our progress in being a follower of Jesus, however, depends not on our achievements but on whether or not we truly love Him.

Let us look at a couple of examples as illustrated by the lives of two great men in the Bible, Joseph and Daniel.

 

Joseph’s life was rooted in the Lord, his faith was firmly built on God’s foundation and established in Him. In the eyes of the world, his progress was a slow downward slide – from being rejected by his brothers and abandoned in a pit, to being sold as a slave and then from being a slave to become a prisoner. Throughout this whole time, however, his faith remained steadfast and he did not give up trusting the Lord, even through the difficult circumstances. Because of his unwavering faith in the Lord, God blessed him and elevated him to become second in command to Pharaoh. Joseph remained steadfast in his love and trust so that God was able to use him to fulfil His purposes.

 

The life of Daniel is another example of a life rooted and established in God. Despite the decree that nobody was permitted to pray to anyone but the king, Daniel continued to pray to God, fully trusting the Lord even as he was cast into the den of lions. Prayer did not stop his enemies from throwing Daniel into the lion’s den but it did send an angel to shut the lions’ mouths and prevent them from harming Daniel.

 

If our lives are not firmly rooted in Him, our progress in the Lord can suffer serious setbacks when we go through various trials. Fear, anxiety and unbelief can become large obstacles, blocking our view of the Lord and causing us to lose focus of His will and His eternal purposes in our lives. To be firmly rooted means that we are thoroughly grounded and strengthened so that nothing can shake our faith in Him, knowing with absolute certainty that He will deliver us from the enemy’s schemes and attacks.

 

Let us examine ourselves to see whether our faith is strongly rooted in Jesus. Let it not be like the waves of the sea, blown and tossed about by the wind, but let us walk with Him daily so that our faith continues to be built up and established, growing from strength to strength as He directs our paths.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for this day. Let me not be tossed about by the wind of circumstances but help me to hold firmly on to You so that my faith may grow stronger day by day. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo & Manju