Rooted

A Christian who is rooted in God's word is a stable, enduring and settled individual. Life storms may hit with a strong impact but they can't uproot him or her whose trust is in the Lord.

Jeremiah describes these well rooted believers in 17:8, "They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." What a rich promise for us today that even at the report of a drought or heatwave we are not overcome by fear!

As a body of believers our roots should converge to give strength and nourishment to one another. For the new believers we should encourage them to dig deeper into God's word and for the mature believers to be willing to stretch and expand our roots in faith.

Paul writes, I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. (Ephesians 3:16-17, NLT).

I believe for us to have strong, solid roots in God's word means He has to change the soil of our hearts. Over time the soil can be depleted of its nutrients and essential elements to support growth. Some of the teaching and beliefs we have learned have just been layered over layered through the years but hold no sustaining strength to produce fruit.

God's love keeps any soil from going crusty and hard. That is why it's important for us to stay not just connected to the Branch but also with the Root.