13 July 2008
Rooted and Grounded
July/14/2008 09:59 AM
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”
Some seasons in life seem to breeze joyously by, while others challenge your faith. You must never trust in the arm of the flesh, in your own strength or intellect, or in any other human being. When you do, your heart becomes cold and insensitive to the Lord, to His Word, His voice and His promptings. Your spiritual growth is literally stunted like a little scrubby shrub in the desert.
You should be able to look back at the end of each year and see growth and change in your knowledge, attitude, faith level and your prayer life. The fruit of the Spirit should be more evident than ever. In other words, in every area, you are moving forward. You should be more able to hear and distinguish the voice and the leadings of the Holy Spirit in your everyday life.
If you don’t see growth, your life will be in a desert -like condition that is barren, no hope for the future, lonely and salty. You will not know in whom your help comes from. This saltiness will keep you in a state of being thirsty and parched. You are never quite satisfied and you feel weak and defeated. You will find yourself being led by your emotions, head logic and sense knowledge.
The real secret to be blessed (happy and prosperous) is to put your complete trust in the Lord, to totally rely on Him. If the roots of your faith are in Him, you won’t be consumed when the heat is on, no matter what fiery trial you face! You won’t be a scrubby little shrub but you will be like a big strong tree planted along the riverbank with roots that go deep.
Think about the giant redwood trees. They are large, strong and gorgeous. But the real secret to their beauty and strength is their root system underneath the ground. Their roots spread out towards nourishment (their life source), and they intermingle and connect with the roots around them.
This forms a network of strength and source of life. The secret is to get rooted and grounded in God’s Word and get to know our Heavenly Father. Knowing Him and His Word is our source of life. Prayer keeps us connected to Him. Remember that prayer is not just a phrase repeated over and over, but it is talking to the Lord and allowing Him to speak to you. The precious Holy Spirit was given to us to help us pray, to lead and guide us into all truth.
If you stay rooted and grounded in God’s Word, your leaves will stay green and fresh no matter what season you are in. Even better yet, the Word says you will continue to produce fruit no matter the circumstance! God’s blessings will abound and your prayers are always answered even when others around you are in confusion. The Word and the Holy Spirit will never leave you out in the cold. Think about this, if your leaves are green that means they are full of life. Where there is life, there is growth and where there is growth, there is always change. God’s change will always be for the good!
Psalms 1:1-3 (NLT) “Oh the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or stand around with sinners, or join with the mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating in it both day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do.”
So rejoice in whatever season you are in. Seasons come and seasons go but God never changes. The Bible says He is the same yesterday, today and forever! God’s Word declares that if you stay rooted and grounded in Him, you will prosper, grow and flourish in all you do!
kimconnor@whwc.org
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