Firmly Staked

Bible Reading: Colossians 2:6-10

“We’ve got work to do before we go hiking,” said Dad as he and Eli reached their campsite, “so let’s get the tent up.”

“All right! That will be fun!” Eli eagerly helped his dad stretch out the tent and set it up. Then he pounded the stakes into the ground on one side while Dad worked on the other side. Soon the tent was up, and they put on their hiking shoes and hit the trails.

They enjoyed their hike so much, they hardly noticed that it was getting cloudy. They were surprised when a light rain began to fall. A strong wind came up too as Eli and his dad headed back to the tent. “Oh no!” exclaimed Eli when they reached their campsite. “One side of our tent fell down. Hey—it’s my side! What happened?”

Dad stooped over and picked up a stake that was lying on the ground. “I’m afraid you didn’t pound these deep enough, and the wind and rain took the tent down. But come on—let’s get this back up.”

This time, putting up the tent was no fun at all because they had to work in the rain. Eli felt like it was his fault. “Sorry, Dad,” he said.

“It’s okay, Eli. It’s no more your fault than mine. I should have checked before we left to make sure the tent was firmly staked.”

When the rain stopped and they were finally able to cook their dinner, Eli grinned at Dad. “We studied some verses in my class at church that talked about being rooted in Christ and strong in our faith. Our teacher said if we know Jesus as our Savior and build our lives on Him and what He tells us in the Bible, our spiritual roots will go deep. Then we won’t be easily fooled by false teaching or be quick to wander away from God. We won’t collapse like this tent did.”

Eli’s dad smiled broadly. “Well,” he said, “you may not be too great at pounding in a tent stake, but it sounds like you’re firmly staked in what truly matters—trusting Jesus and growing in your relationship with Him.” (Ruth I. Jay)

How About You?

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Are you learning more about Him by reading the Bible and going to church? Do you look to Him for help and trust Him to give you strength and guidance in your life? As you grow in your relationship with Jesus, your faith will become more firmly rooted in His truth and love. Pound your spiritual stakes deep by building your life on Him.

Today’s Key Verse: Colossians 2:7 Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. (NLV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Be firm in your faith