ROOTED AND ESTABLISHED IN LOVE

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  (Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV)

Part of what it means to be made in God’s image is our capacity for connectedness, because God created human beings and then said, “It isn’t good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18)  Paul paints a picture of that connectedness in writing to the church in Ephesus that they are “being rooted and established in love.”

When a tree puts roots into the ground, those roots are able to take in nutrients and water, and the tree grows and has life and strength -- but only if it is rooted. In the same way, we are rooted and our souls are nourished in the love of God and other people. We experience this both physically and emotionally when we connect with somebody.

You are walking down the street, and someone you know smiles at you. They care about you through words, through touch, through listening, through prayer together. Whenever there is an exchange of genuine caring, it is as if the roots of your soul are getting fed. Every life has to have that connectedness. 

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be” 

#6052 

ABIDING IN JESUS

Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”  (John 15:4 ESV)

Jesus isn’t asking you to do something you’re not already doing. All of us are abiding. The question isn’t, “Are you abiding?” It’s, “What are you abiding in?” All of us have a source we are rooted in, a kind of default setting we return to. An emotional home. It’s where our minds go when they’re not busy with tasks, where our feelings go when we need solace, where our bodies go when we have free time, and where our money goes after we pay bills. We will make our home somewhere, the question is “Where?” 

-- John Mark Comer in “Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like Him. Do as He did.”

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DEEP ROOTS

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”  (Colossians 2:6-7 NIV)

In his book “Like a Rock,” Andy Stanley describes a solitary, two-hundred-year-old, evergreen tree at the edge of a rocky overlook in the Appalachian foothills. Stanley writes, "Through the years, it has defied heavy snow, hailstorms, and the steady, westerly winds rising off the valley floor. From it's vulnerable view of endless ridges and valleys, it has seen conditions that would snap most trees in half. Nevertheless, it stands strong. What's the secret?... The answer lies below the surface. For literally two centuries, the elements have hurled their assaults against the tree. But while storms raged on the outside, the tree quietly developed an inner support system to sustain it. Every gust of wind sent the roots sprawling deeper into the soil, expanding the tree's tenacious grip on the mountain..."

Each one of us is like a tree. We are subjected to the stormy elements of life. And when, not if, those storms come, we either snap or grow stronger. What makes the difference is not the strength of the storm but the depth of our relationship in Christ. Sink your roots deep. 

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson 


#4442

ROOTED AND BUILT UP IN CHRIST

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as LORD, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”  (Colossians 2:6-7 NIV)

At the edge of a rocky overlook in the Appalachian foothills stands a lone two-hundred-year-old evergreen tree... Through the years, it has defied heavy snow, hailstorms, and the steady, westerly winds rising off the valley floor. From it's vulnerable view of endless ridges and valleys, it has seen conditions that would snap most trees in half. Nevertheless, it stands strong.

What's the secret?... The answer lies below the surface. For literally two centuries, the elements have hurled their assaults against the tree. But while storms raged on the outside, the tree quietly developed an inner support system to sustain it. Every gust of wind sent the roots sprawling deeper into the soil, expanding the tree's tenacious grip on the mountain...

We are all like trees subjected to the stormy elements of life. And when they come, we either snap or grow stronger. What makes the difference is not the ferocity of the storm but the depth of our [relationship with Christ].

-- adapted from Andy Stanley in “Like a Rock"

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EDITOR'S NOTE: This quote reminded me of an image I captured last year and posted to my photography website...

BEARING GOD’S FRUIT

Holy God, Beloved Trinity, let me always be rooted in You so that I may live in You and You in me. Bless me so that Your grace may flow through me, allowing me to bear Your fruit to a hungry and helpless world. As I wander, prune me of all that inhibits Your growth in me. Let me do nothing apart from You so that Your joy me be complete in me. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

-- Vineyard Guild Prayer

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