Rooted. Rested. Released.

Rooted – Established in Christ

• 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.”

• Jeremiah 17:7-8 – “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord… They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.”

• Psalm 1:1-3 – “Like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season…”

  
  

To be rooted is to have the hidden life anchored in Christ. Roots draw unseen strength and steady nourishment; they hold firm when storms rise.  The storms come and go. But they always seem to come again.

A life rooted in Jesus receives its identity and security from Him, not from shifting cultural soil or personal success. The deeper the root, the stronger the life of fruit and endurance.

Rooted and built up in Him.  Imagine your soul sending roots deeper into His love, His promises, His unchanging character.

Rested – Peace in His Presence

• Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

• Hebrews 4:9-11 – “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God…”

• Philippians 4:6-7 – “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

  
  

Rest is more than relief from busyness; it is the settled quiet of a life that trusts. God’s rest is His own life shared with us—a Sabbath of the heart. In Jesus, striving gives way to abiding. Even in outward labor, an inner stillness can remain, because He carries the weight.

I will give you rest. It is an act of trust, letting anxiety and self-effort loosen their grip.

Released – Freedom and Mission

• Luke 4:18 – “He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

• Romans 8:1-2 – “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free.”

• John 20:21 – “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

  
  

The world and its fears hold humanity captive. In Christ, chains fall away—guilt, shame, addictions, and the compulsion to please. But release is more than escape; it is a sending. Freedom becomes movement: to forgive, to serve, to love boldly, to walk into callings unbound by fear.

Freedom - it's better than bondage.  Way better.

Listen for where He is sending you next.

Living rooted, rested, released

This is not three steps but a single life in Christ:

• Rooted in His love so that storms cannot uproot you.

• Rested in His finished work so that striving no longer drives you.

• Released for His purposes so that the world’s chains no longer bind you.

  
  

It is a way of living the freedom Jesus promises.