Firmly rooted or Not?

    It’s like what my camp director used to tell the staff all the time “What you put into the well, is going to come up in the bucket.”

In Romans, 11:16 we find a similar set of advice:

“ . . .if the root is holy, so are the branches.”

     When I read this, I thought of Paul’s symbol here – the tree. If the tree doesn’t have firm, deep, healthy roots then it won’t grow. In the same sense, it applies to our own “faith trees.”

     When we first hear the message about what Jesus has done for our world, a seed is planted. If that seed is cared for and nurtured, then the seed will develop into a sapling – although it is small, it still is a tree. That tree depends on the roots to sustain it, and if its roots aren’t rooted deeply and providing life to the rest of the tree . . .then the tree will die.

     As simple as it sounds, this is exactly like our life in Christ. If we are not firmly planted in God’s word, and seeking daily nourishment from it, then we can be carried off by all kinds of ideas.

     Remember, the roots are careful about the things that it sends into the rest of the tree. So too should we be careful about what we put into our lives. Holiness does not “just happen,” and neither does growth. If the roots are holy, then the branches will learn from that holiness and grow in the same way – into holiness.

Just something to think about.