Rooted in Christ

Recently, it was a privilege to share with our local ministerial about my new book, Down to Earth Leadership: Influencing Communities Through the Virtues of Jesus Christ. 

Here is the essence of what was shared: 

“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

In most major tree types, the root systems are within the top couple of feet below the ground level.  

 

What’s happening below the surface of your life?

 

Paul reminds us that we have to allow room for God to work in ways that are known to him but are mysterious to us. The mystery comes as we allow the life of Christ to work in our lives through the Spirit.

 

Jesus helps us understand how he was rooted. 

 

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? 

Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. 

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ 

Matthew 22:37-38

 

 

Roots are an intricate system through which nutrients are drawn, strength is given and fruitfulness results. It is worth noting two ways in which Jesus’ life was rooted. It is from these roots that the transitions are being proposed. Both of these roots are reflective of the Great Commandment. The first component of the root reflects the priority that Jesus places on his relationship with God the Father. The second component of the root reflects the counter-cultural means through which Jesus accomplishes his redemptive purpose, by responding to the needs of others. 

 

Jesus’ root system is integral to understanding how virtue informs the life of those who serve in leadership. 

         

A deepening relationship with God, the Father, should inspire us to walk the borderlands, mingle in the margins and blur the boundaries of sacred and secular space, in keeping with the example of Jesus, in the fullness of grace and truth. Jesus’ complete dependence upon the Father provides our example and motivation as we consider the present reality, amid in the unpredictable rhythms of leadership life. Jesus, in his incarnation is the exemplar of Down to Earth Leadership. 

 

Through intentional interactions with God, His Father, in prayer and with reliance upon the Word, Jesus intensely fought against the emotions and thoughts that could derail his mission. In so doing, He was continually renewed and affirmed, by His Father, in his commitment and conduct in fulfilling his purpose for the world He so loves. 

 

Despite the personal demands on his time and the political and religious oppositions of his day, Jesus was intentional about creating space to spend in reflection and conversation with God the Father. It should follow then that, as those who serve in Christian leadership, we would also benefit from creating more space in our schedules for this same purpose. 

 

The truth of God will flourish with grace-infused significance as it is meted out, first in our lives, from that private space with Our Father and then in our everyday expression to neighbourhoods he sends us. This process must be deliberate.  

 

As a result of His dependence upon God’s power and purpose for His life, Jesus modelled how we should relate to others. He gave examples of using our words wisely, the importance of proximity, a welcoming posture, a timely touch, and voice of compassionate care. 

 

The capacity of the incarnated Son of God to enter into real time interactions with a wide range of diverse people, respecting their relational and cultural framework, and despite the intensity of his own personal situation should provide for us an example worth imitating. 

 

God desires us to approach Christian leadership with purpose and not shrink back when difficulties arise, as they will inevitably do. A healthy root system fed by Jesus' virtues will result in fruitful ministry that reflects God's character and nature. We don’t produce the fruit; the fruit is the result of our roots being fed by the life of Jesus. 

 

Those virtues that are noted include: compassion, forbearance, integrity, discernment, and devotion.  They also include justice, which is tied tightly to God’s undeniable characteristic of righteousness. And it seems so much more necessary in a culture of growing injustice, inequalities, oppression of rights, and scarcity of resources.  

 

When we are rooted in Christ, we can have confidence, not in ourselves or our own ambitions, but in the faithfulness of God, knowing that He is in control.  Fear and worry do not need to define our lives in the face of uncertainty, challenges, or trials.  We don’t need to be afraid of the sudden appearance of storms or winds of opposition and even periods of drought that bring otherwise unwelcome change.  For it is in those seasons that root systems are deepened and strengthened – prepared for future fruitfulness.

 

Being rooted in Christ means that we benefit from His strength in our weakness, from His confidence in the love of God the Father. Just as He, Jesus, was sustained and resisted the devil in the wilderness according to the fullness of the word of God, so too, can we yield our will to His Spirit at work, informing our lives, against the temptations of this world and toward the people God so loves.  And just as He suffered and died, so that the power of God might be revealed through His life, so too can we endure suffering and scarcity to entrust ourselves to Him who so powerfully works in all who call on his name: even Jesus our Lord.