8 Ways to Be Rooted in Christ

Hey everyone! It’s your girl Julie, back with another segment of “Salty & Lit,” and today, “I’m going to talk to you about “8 Ways to be Rooted in Christ.” Let’s get started! 

Lately, God has been having me read Psalm 1 for a long time. I’d say we’re going on months, where He’s been calling me to write about Psalms. I had “Planted,” but there’s something else the Lord wants to talk about, and I believe it’s the importance of us staying rooted in Christ. You see, with planted, one takes root where that item is planted, and for us as Christians, it’s super important for us to stay rooted in the One who is constant (God) because the way this world is going right now? If we’re not, we can be blown like chaff in the wind. That’s to say when something happens, we’ll just fly and be tossed around like someone with no faith, so today, I’ll be teaching you 8 Ways to be Rooted in Christ. Let’s go! 

Father, thank You that You’re constant in the midst of a world that is changing. Help us to know You. Help us to stay rooted in Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

What does it mean to be rooted? In Matthew 15, we learn about a group of people who are serving God with their lips but their hearts are from God. Then Jesus has a remark in verse 13, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted” (NLT). This lets us know that 1. The Lord does the planting, and 2. When He does the planting, He puts us in a position to grow in Him.

If God is the one who is establishing or planting you somewhere, you’ll take root and grow because He is the Gardener and will help you grow. 

In this blog, I will teach you ways for us to stay rooted in God. While it’s easy to be passive and let God do everything, which He does have a part, we also have a part to do some work, so let’s do the work by learning the work. 

First things first, Stay in the Word. Jesus says, in John 15 verses 5-7 (NLT):

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!

To give context, Jesus is talking to His disciples at what we call the Last Supper (it’s called the “Last Supper” because it’s the last meal He has with them before He gets crucified). During this time, Jesus is giving His disciples different messages, but in this particular passage, Jesus is letting them know their identities. He says, “I am the vine; you are the branches…If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” That lets us know that the only way we can be producing fruit is if we remain in Christ, and the way we stay in Christ is to stay in His Word.

There are times in which I don’t want to be rooted in Christ. I mean I do, but my actions don’t show it. When I don’t read my Bible, I’m easily irritated by others, rude, mean, and just darn right cranky. It’s not Christlike. But when I do spend time in His Word, I learn how God wants me to act, and it slows me to know His will in my life. So beloved, the first way to stay rooted in Christ is to stay in His Word.

Second, make time for Him.

Set aside time every morning for Him. David (the author of Psalm 5:3, NLT) says, “Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” There is a time set aside for David to talk to God (in the morning). When you start your day with Christ, you’re orienting yourself to submit your agenda to Him. You allow His plans to take control of your day, if you allow Him. Full disclosure: I enjoy pressing the snooze button often, but I notice that when I do, it affects my day because I’m not choosing God first. Yes, it’s important to rest, but sometimes, there’s a sacrifice needing to be done, so that we can grow in the Father and that might mean spending time extra early with the Father, and as a result, we’ll leave better than we came in. Spending time with God allows us to get checked and prepped for the day, in the sense God can tell you what He wants you to be working on or just settling yourself before the day gets hectic. All in all, spend time with the Father.

Third, Have Fun.

In the wedding of Cana, we see Jesus at a wedding. While you see Jesus perform His first miracle there (turning water into wine in John 2), I don’t think Jesus was at the wedding being stiff. You see sometimes as Christians, we think we have to get rid of fun, which is true in a sense in that we get rid of the things that don’t honor God, like clubbing, partying, drinking excessively, and smoking, but we do have things that we can do: partying in a Christlike way through the music and activities there, playing games with friends, and going out to eat. There are so many things that you can do, and you can pray and ask God how to have fun as a Christian, leading me to my next point.

Fourth, Pray.

Prayer is a direct line in communicating with God. We pray because it connects us with God and shows we need Him. However, the type of prayers we pray also shows us the type of connection we have with God. If we’re only asking Him for things, we see God as a Giver only, but sis/bro, He’s more than that. He’s our Father, and He desires to talk with His child (you), so set aside time to talk with him.

Fifth, Fast.

I’m not going to lie (the Lord has been checking me with this one), but fasting kills the flesh like a lot. When we fast, we are trusting and obeying God’s command to fast. Don’t believe me? In Matthew 6, Jesus says to His followers, “When you fast,” and I heard it’s an expectation to know that as a disciple (that is a follower of Christ), we fast. Fasting brings breakthroughs. Often, when we fast, it exposes our fleshly desires (that is the sinful also known as the part of us that doesn’t want to obey God). When denying the flesh, it shows us that we are not under its leadership, but rather we trust God more in what He says and what He wants us to do. I know that the Lord is drawing me to this area (fasting, that is) and leading me, so pray for your girl. Fasting shows we’re submitting to God’s care and are willing to sacrifice our wants to follow His.

Sixth, Practice a Sabbath, if you feel led.

When I was in school, a supervisor mentioned the word “Sabbath” to me, and I thought it was “Old Testament” only. However, while the word Sabbath is introduced in the Old Testament (Genesis 2:3), God calls us to enter into a Sabbath rest that comes from Christ. When we are in Christ, we are not striving for grace. We receive it and walk in it. We are not striving to be sons or daughters. We walk in it. Sabbath shows us to stop relying on our own trust and to trust in the finished work of Christ (His death and resurrection on the cross). 

For those who don’t know the finished work of Christ, it’s when Jesus came, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross for my sins and yours. You see, sin is a big thing in front of God because He’s a Holy and righteous God, so when we sin, the penalty for that is death. However, Jesus chose to die as the sacrifice for all our sins (the one we committed and will commit), and because of His work, we can rest in knowing our salvation is secure in Him (for those who believe). (That is our Sabbath). For those interested in learning about the Gospel (that’s Good News), check out John 3:16. 

Back to my point about Sabbath, while I learned Sabbath is a way to cease (stop) all things because God rested, it lets us know that our works aren’t making the world go round. God is, and when we rest, we show that we trust God and the finished work that Jesus did on the cross.

Seventh, Rest.

As humans, rest is important. Like I mentioned in the earlier point regarding Sabbath, Sabbath is a form of rest, but we also need to be resting ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, all of the -lys. When we rest, we show that we are limited and are trusting God to restore us. Psalm 23 says that God restores our souls. He knows when we’re battered and when we need rest, and He knows what we need, so spend time with Him to get the rest that we need.

Eighth, Work. 

While there is a time to rest, there is also a time to work. In the Haitian hymnal (the Chants Desperance), there’s a song that says, “Pinga ou gaspiye tan ou,” which means, “Don’t waste your time.” Paul, a writer of a book in the Bible, affirms this statement saying, “Be wise when working with outsiders (non-Christians), making the best of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5, NET). While this passage focuses on our lifestyle in the face of non-Christians, this note can be applicable in all areas. You never know when it’ll be a time to show others Christ. As lights, we always should be pointing people to the Father, so allow yourself to be rooted by doing what the Lord wants you to do. 

What you can do is talk about your faith: as lights, we are supposed to shine, and if we’re out here hiding our light (that is the Good News), then we’ll stifle that and don’t give it a chance for us to grow.

My friend, I’m not just speaking to you. I’m speaking to myself also. Remember, as salty and lit people, we’re teaching others as we are learning, so as we’re learning to grow in Christ, I’m learning the same too.

So with that, I want you to take the time to stay rooted in Christ. Choose one thing to help you stay rooted in Christ this week. And with that, I just want to say that you’re loved, salty, and lit. 

Talk to you soon! Let’s pray!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for being good. Thank You for being our friend. Thank You that You are constant in the midst of change. Thank You for being our Friend. Help us to know You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.