Establishment

Why Establishment?

In January we focused on consecration: preparing the ground for fruitfulness by setting ourselves apart for the Lord. This month we build on that foundation with establishment. Consecration is the preparation; establishment is the deepening. We want to be not only set apart for God but rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in our faith, and secure in Christ. That is what Colossians 2:6–7“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 invites us into.

Paul writes to believers who have received Christ. His concern is that they continue: that they go on living their lives in Him, growing deeper and stronger. Establishment is that ongoing life. It is the opposite of a shallow or shaky faith. It is being rooted, built up, strengthened, and overflowing with thankfulness. That is our focus for February.

“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 (NIV)

What Establishment Means

The verse gives us four pictures of what it means to be established in Christ. First, we continue to live our lives in Him. We do not receive Christ and then drift. We stay in Him, day by day. Second, we are rooted in Him. Like a tree with deep roots, we draw our life and stability from Christ. Third, we are built up in Him. Faith is not static; we are being built up, like a structure on a solid foundation. Fourth, we are strengthened in the faith as we were taught. The truth we have received becomes the source of our strength as we hold fast to it.

And from that place of being rooted, built up, and strengthened, we overflow with thankfulness. Establishment is not grim or rigid. It produces gratitude. When we are secure in Christ, we are not easily shaken, and our hearts can overflow with thanks.

Strengthened and Secure

To be strengthened and secure in Christ means we are not relying on our own wisdom or effort for stability. We are rooted in Him. When trials or confusion come, we do not topple. When culture shifts or pressures mount, we hold fast. Our security is in Christ, not in our circumstances. That kind of establishment is what we need for a year of fruitfulness. Fruit grows on branches that are firmly connected to the vine. Establishment is that firm connection: we are strengthened and secure in Christ so that we can bear fruit that lasts.

A Word for This Month

Let February be a month of intentional establishment. Continue to live your life in Christ. Let His Word sink deeper. Put down roots in Him through prayer, Scripture, and obedience. Ask the Lord to build you up and strengthen you in the faith. And let thankfulness overflow. We are not meant to be shallow or shaky. We are meant to be rooted, built up, and strengthened in Christ. As we are established in Him, we are ready for whatever fruit He wants to produce in and through us this year.

Rooted and built up in Him. Strengthened and overflowing with thankfulness.