A Wild Fig tree at Echo Caves, near Ohrigstad, Mpumalanga, South Africa has roots reaching 400 feet making it the deepest a trees roots have penetrated.
Job 14:7-9 NAS
"For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And its shoots will not fail. "Though its roots grow old in the ground And its stump dies in the dry soil, At the scent of water it will flourish And put forth sprigs like a plant.
Colossians 2:7 AMP
Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving.
Root or Rooted Definitions:
Something that is an origin or source.
"For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And its shoots will not fail. "Though its roots grow old in the ground And its stump dies in the dry soil, At the scent of water it will flourish And put forth sprigs like a plant.
Colossians 2:7 AMP
Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving.
Root or Rooted Definitions:
Something that is an origin or source.
Established deeply and firmly.
Strong and difficult to destroy.
The part underground that usually cannot be seen.
So often, we (Christians) talk about fruits (fruits of the spirit, gifts, qualities, etc.) Sometimes, I think that we talk more about these, think more about these, and focus on these more than we do on matters unseen by others. We- I say 'we' assuming more people do this than me, but I say things like "I want to set a good example for Christ," "I want to be a good witness," and "I want to LIVE the gospel." So, I stopped and asked myself what I meant by saying those things... Do I want to follow those ideas to bring our king glory? Or, do I simply want others to see 'how good of a Christian I am?' The thing is, there is no such thing as a 'good' Christian. We fail every day- actually we fail every second, because we never come close to measuring up to Gods standards. Anything 'good' or 'right' we do is only because of His mercy, redemption, love, and grace. We cannot fully understand His goodness until we fully understand our wretchedness. Unfortunately these are impossible for our finite brains to fathom, but the more we get to know Him, the more we understand. Anyways, I had to sit and think about how we look at our brothers and sisters in Christ. If God leads someone to move to a foreign country, be a leader in the Church, or bring God glory in a 'cool' way, we think they are on fire for God. What if though, when God calls someone to a 'less exciting, more average' life, we looked at them and saw the possibilities for God to work. Who deemed me capable of deciding what a life surrendered to The Lord looks like anyways? The fact is no one did. We are all just as average as the next person and yet God still uses each in crazy ways. Those ways may not make sense to us or seem like the best, but they were designed by our Savior and He makes no mistakes. Ever. I'm not sure if these tangents are tying together, but it seems to me that when we realize how we appear, our fruits, our callings are because of Gods work and not our own, we can focus more on our roots. Again, we will fail because we cannot grow without the Living Water, but He can root us if we are willing. I don't want to be like a top heavy tree that has no roots. I want my roots to be like that tree in South Africa. I want to be firmly planted in Christ- immovable. It's so easy to be involved in multiple missions and bible studies and still be dried out. This is my prayer for all my brothers and sisters. I pray that wherever we are- because there isn't a place in the world that isn't susceptible to Satan- that we will focus more on our personal walk with The Lord than anything else. I pray that we won't replace time with God with anything else- because those things then become idols and we start to die. We have to be daily in the Word, and Jesus Calling is not the Word. I love Bible studies, but they cannot replace the Bible. Plants can't grow without roots, and neither can we. I say this, because I know how easy it is to be distracted. Although God is teaching me so many different things, I keep coming back to this. I really believe this is the center that encompasses all He wants to teach us. Abiding in His word. If we are seeking Him- truly seeking Him, then Everything else falls into place and He fills us with peace. The cool thing is that He will give us the desire to be in constant communion with Him and the desire to seek Him as soon as we ask Him. There's this fulfillment and joy and satisfaction that absolutely nothing else can. We were made for Him, to worship Him, to be with Him, and that is why so many people are searching for that 'something' that fulfills them. It's Jesus. We need Him and unless we understand how much more desperately we need Him to survive then food or water, we will be stifled in our faith. All in all, we must be wholly surrendered to whatever, whenever, wherever, and however, He calls us no matter how it looks. We must be so in tune with Him and the Word that we don't question Him. We must be so focused on our roots that our fruits spring forth from a natural overflow. And finally, we must realize our total incompetence do this, and cry out to The Lord to help us.
And He will, because our God is faithful.
-Em
So, you are probably wondering why I'm talking about trees:) One of my friends recently wrote a blog entitled "roots not fruits." I have been learning a lot about the same thing lately and wanted to share what God is teaching me so here goes...
And He will, because our God is faithful.
-Em
