Is your Life in Jesus Well Established and Alive?

Are you Rooted and Built up in Jesus?

Feb

Roots are essential parts of teeth and plants. I have almost given up on our grass. The hot Californian sun withers the plants, and the roots do not penetrate the dry soil. My teeth are almost as bad. I have had a few root canals which are unpleasant and expensive, but without a root there would be no tooth.

Our Lives may Look Good on the Outside but on the Inside there may be Pain and Decay.

It seems appropriate to make some comparisons between teeth and life. Our lives can look good on the outside, like teeth, but on the inside there may be pain and decay. Millions of dollars are spent in the U.S. to straighten teeth and to whiten them. When I was in Washington D.C, I was stopped by a man who had heard my English accent and saw that my teeth were straight. He assumed that my family were rich because only the well off in England went to orthodontists. In fact I inherited the straight teeth gene but I also inherited a more serious problem: soft enamel. Deeper and deeper fillings threaten the lifeline of the tooth: the root, hence my root canals.

Was there anything that I could have done to protect my teeth? I am sure that my flossing and brushing are inadequate and my visits to the dentist are too few. If I could have stopped the decay developing or if I had had it removed immediately, my teeth would have been healthier. Instead, I have cement replacing some of my roots and crowns covering the ugly remains of those teeth.

Sin Causes Us to Feel the Pain of Guilt

How do these unpleasant facts about my teeth apply to life? We have all inherited the inclination to sin. Sin is going against God’s will for us, and as we struggle to live life our own way, with no reference to Jesus, we are like sick teeth. We feel the pain of guilt, if we do not seek the forgiveness that Jesus offers. Without the hope of eternal life that faith in Jesus brings, we have reason to dread the decay that accompanies death.

Without a Life – giving Faith in Jesus, we are Spiritually Dead, Like a Dead Tooth.

There are many people who have not, as yet, had their lives transformed by Jesus. Perhaps they have not heard that Jesus can cleanse and forgive them; perhaps they don’t want to hear. Jesus describes Himself as “the way, the truth and the life”.( John 14:6 ) He also refers to himself as ” the living water”: “..whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Without the “living water” we may look healthy but we are like one of my teeth. On the outside the tooth looks healthy and vibrant but the nerve is dead and the cement that has replaced it is unable to feel. It is there to prop the tooth up, giving the semblance of life. The Bible tells us that without a life giving faith in Jesus, we are spiritually dead.

Jesus wants to Remove our Heart of Stone and Give us a Heart of Flesh.

In this life time it is possible, but unlikely, that my dead roots will miraculously come back to life. However, in terms of our lives, Jesus wants to turn our heart of stone into a heart of flesh, giving us His life giving Spirit that will live forever. This is described in Ezekiel 11:19: “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their heads what they have done, declares the Lord.”

Jesus Offers Us a Brand New Life

Jesus offers us a brand new life, if we are willing to believe and devote our lives to Him. Without Jesus our life resembles a tooth that has had a root canal and a crown . The crown looks good and the hard cement allows the tooth to stay in position so that it can perform the function of a tooth, but it is really dead. There is no blood feeding it and there are no nerves allowing it to feel. According to the verses in Ezekiel, if we avoid the life that Jesus offers, and if we are determined to focus on a lifestyle that does not honor God, we will receive the punishment that our actions and thoughts deserve: “I (God) will bring down on their heads what they have done.” One day it will be quite clear who has turned away from the new life that Jesus offers.

A Christian is like a real tooth attached to the blood supply by the root and able to feel, thanks to the nerve. If we are Christians do we thank Jesus for the life He has given us? Do we earnestly pray and study the Bible so that we are connected to Him fully? Are we energized spiritually? Do we protect the “enamel” by regularly asking for Jesus’ forgiveness when we are aware that we have sinned. This is like thoroughly cleaning the teeth. Are we aware that we have an enemy, the devil who can attack our lives like plaque destroying a tooth. God wants us to receive His protection and when there is decay or sin he will remove it when we seek His help.

Are You Rooted and Built Up in Jesus?

Please don’t avoid Jesus in the same way that I avoid the dentist. If you are not yet a Christian, Jesus can give you a brand new life and He will forgive you for everything, washing you with the “living water”. If you are a Christian you should not be lazy regarding the necessary discipline of looking after your life in Christ. Like looking after your teeth, effort in protecting your teeth will be worthwhile. Similarly Jesus will bless you and protect you as you spend time praying and reading the Bible and following Him faithfully. Are you rooted and built up in Jesus? ” So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2: 7)