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The all-inclusive Christ is typified by the good land, a land in which we will not lack anything—Deut. 8:9:
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Christ as the allotted portion of the saints (Col. 1:12) refers to the lot of the inheritance, as illustrated by the allotment of the good land of Canaan given to the children of Israel for their inheritance (Josh. 14:1):
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The New Testament believers' inheritance is not a physical land; it is the all-inclusive Christ; He is the pledge of our inheritance—Eph. 1:14.
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He is the allotted portion of the saints as our divine inheritance for our enjoyment—Acts 26:18b.
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God's intention is to bring all His people into the good land, which typifies Christ as the goal; in the Old Testament God's people journeyed and then arrived at the goal, but in the New Testament we, the believers, having been baptized into Christ, are already in the goal—Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27; 1 Cor. 1:30; Col. 2:6-7 and footnotes.
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The good land today is Christ as the all-inclusive Spirit (v. 6; Gal. 3:14), who dwells in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22; Rom. 8:16) to be our enjoyment; to walk according to this Spirit (v. 4; Gal. 5:16) is the central and crucial point in the New Testament:
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Colossians 2:6-7 reveals that Christ as the good land is the rich soil in which we have been rooted so that we may grow with the elements that we absorb from the soil—cf. 1 Cor. 3:6, 9; Col. 2:19.
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If we have been rooted in Christ, we shall spontaneously walk in Christ—living, acting, moving, and having our being in Christ.
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The only way to become deeply rooted in Christ is to contact the Lord and spend time with Him in the Word with much prayer; we first grow downward and then bear fruit upward—Eph. 5:26; 6:17-18; Isa. 37:31.
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While we walk in Christ, we will be built up in Christ to live out Christ; this living out of Christ will produce the corporate expression of Christ, the church life—Col. 2:6-7.
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Every morning we need to take adequate time to absorb the Lord; although even ten minutes is good, it is best to spend thirty minutes to enjoy Him at the start of each new day; as we spend time contacting the Lord in the morning and throughout the day in our spirit, we will spontaneously absorb into us the riches of Christ as the soil.
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We must take time to enjoy the Lord as the all-inclusive land so that all the elements of Christ as the rich soil may be absorbed into us for us to be made full in Him in our experience—v. 10a; 4:2:
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If we would absorb the riches of Christ as the soil, we need to have tender, new roots; we should not let ourselves get old but be fresh and renewed every day—2 Cor. 4:16; cf. Deut. 34:7; Luke 11:34-36; Acts 3:19-20; Psa. 16:11.
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We need to forget our situation, our condition, our failures, and our weaknesses and simply take time to absorb the Lord so that we may be built up in Him for the building up of His Body, His corporate expression—Luke 8:13; Matt. 14:22-23; 6:6.
Morning Nourishment
Col. 2:6-7 As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, having been rooted and being built up in Him, and being established in the faith even as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.As we have received Christ, we should walk in Him. In Colossians 2:6 to walk is to live, to act, to behave, and to have our being. We should walk, live, and act in Christ that we may enjoy His riches, just as the children of Israel lived in the good land, enjoying all its rich produce. The good land today is Christ as the all-inclusive Spirit (Gal. 3:14), who dwells in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22; Rom. 8:16) to be our enjoyment. To walk according to this Spirit (Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:16) is the central and crucial point in the New Testament. (Col. 2:6, footnote 2)
Like plants, we are living organisms. As such, we have been rooted in Christ, our soil, our earth, that we may absorb all His riches as nourishment. These riches become the element and substance with which we grow and are built up. To be rooted is for the growth in life. This rooting has been completed already. To be built up is for the building of the Body of Christ. This is still going on. Both these matters are in Christ. (Col. 2:7, footnote 1)
Today's Reading
If you see that we have been rooted in Christ as the rich soil, you will be comforted and encouraged. Do not be troubled by your weaknesses. Consider the rich soil in which you are rooted. In this soil do you not have the fullness, the circumcision, the burial, the raising up, the giving of life, the wiping out of the ordinances, and the stripping off of the powers of darkness? Forget your situation, your condition, your failures, and your weaknesses and simply take time to enjoy the Lord. Take time to absorb Him, to assimilate the rich elements from Him as the soil. If you take time to absorb the Lord, you will be able to testify that in Christ you have no lack.Every morning we need to take an adequate amount of time to absorb the Lord. Although even ten minutes is good, it is best to spend thirty minutes to enjoy Him at the start of each new day. If you spend thirty minutes to absorb the Lord and to enjoy Him in the morning, you will not be bothered by negative things during the day. The”flies” and”scorpions” will not pester you, for the elements in the soil will repel them. However, if you fail to absorb the Lord in the morning, you are apt to be troubled by”flies” and”scorpions.” Many saints can testify that absorbing the Lord in the morning supplies them with the best insect repellent. However, we should spend time with the Lord not only in the morning but also throughout the day. If we have a good time with the Lord in the morning, afternoon, and evening, not only shall we be supplied with the most effective pest control, we shall also enjoy a feast. However, if we are not faithful to take time to absorb the Lord, our condition will gradually deteriorate. Our experience confirms this. Let us turn from our thought, emotion, and intention and open ourselves to the Lord, exercising our spirit to say,”O Lord Jesus, I love You, I worship You, and I adore You. Lord, I give myself to You. I give You my heart and everything concerning this day.” As you contact the Lord in this way, do not be hurried. Take time, the more the better. As you spend time contacting the Lord, spontaneously you will absorb into you the riches of the soil.
If we would absorb the riches of Christ as the soil, we need to have tender, new roots. Do not let yourself get old, but be fresh and renewed day by day. Pray to the Lord,”Lord, I want my consecration to be fresh, and I want to open to You anew. I want my roots to be tender that I may absorb Your riches. Lord, don't let my roots get old.” If our roots are tender and new to absorb the riches of Christ, we shall grow automatically with the riches we assimilate. This is to enjoy Christ and to experience Him subjectively daily and hourly. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 468-469, 487)
Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msgs. 53, 55-57