I think we all need deeper roots.
I think I need deeper roots.
There is a great passage in Jeremiah that has stuck with me for the past few years. It talks about a cursed person and a blessed person. Let’s look at it now in Jeremiah 17:5-10.
This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength
and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land.
7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 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.
9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts
and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve.”
Which begs the question, how do I get deeper roots? Is it just from experience? Is it just from living out my days and just happening to go deeper? I don’t think so. I think we can do more.
Here are some of my observations from the passage.
1) TRUST, HOPE and CONFIDENCE – We need to trust in the Lord in everything we do. This is foundational to the Christian faith, but do we (I) really have confidence and hope in God? Do I trust Him with the little things, as well as the big things?
2) LOCATION – It is important to be planted in a great location. Cursed is the one who is planted in a desert where there is no water. Blessed are those who are planted by the stream. Where are we drawing water from? Is from the water of life?
3) GO DEEP – Deep roots means when the heat comes (trials, temptations, hardships), we can still have green leaves and bear fruit. We need to know Christ (as Paul puts it in Philippians 3), we need to know God’s word, and we need to stand firm and be ready. We need to be satisfied in our source and confident that He is the best for us.
My prayer today?
That there will be a root system of many new trees drawing from the water of life.
Will you be there with me?
This Is Wes 
Our message in church today was in regards to fruitfulness and maturity is contingent upon being rooted in the Lord and in the body of Christ. I love the graphic of this tree. I wasn’t sure of the copyright and if I could have permission to print the image for a printing for personal purposes? 😉
Hi, this is not my image. I originally found it somewhere on the internet many years ago. I’m sorry I can’t help you. Yes it is so important to dig deep roots. We often think we can do things on our own, but it is only in Christ that we have the strength. Thanks for sharing, commenting, etc.