A STRONG FOUNDATIONAL IDENTITY

COLOSSIANS 2:6-7 NKJ 
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 

 If I sound repetitive when I say this is a powerful passage, I am not apologizing.  God's word is powerful and living, and each verse is inspired by the Creator of the universe.   

Paul goes to one of his main inspired themes, our identity in Christ.  You received Jesus; now live with that truth as your primary identity.   

Rooted and built up in Him.  This is a strong foundation.  We can actually become strong and solid in what Jesus has done for us and in us.  He becomes the focus of our spiritual identity that supersedes everything we identify with.   

This strength is established in our lives by faith.  We received Jesus by faith, and that's how we continue our walk with Him. 

Abounding with thanksgiving.  The connection between our faith and giving thanks can not be emphasized enough.  We believe God has done amazing things for us through Jesus, so we are thankful.  In fact, thanksgiving is one of the most powerful expressions of our faith.   

APPLICATION 

Let's start with giving thanks for our salvation in Christ.  Then we can move on to our positions as favored children of God.  The blessed, the empowered, the strong in Christ.  We can give thanks because in Christ we are accepted and chosen and delivered from darkness.  I took most of these 'in Christ' truths from the first chapter of the book of Colossians.  We have so much to be thankful for.  And as we give thanks - we are not just being polite.  We are building a strong foundational identity in Christ.   

With so much talk today about how someone identifies, let's be people who first and foremost identify with the Lord and our Saviour Jesus Christ.  That's the strongest place to be.   

PRAYER 

Heavenly Father, I want to thank You that I am connected to Christ and identify with Him.  Thank You. That powerful truth is getting stronger in me every day.