How deep are your roots??

Today's Readings:
Matthew 12:24 - 13:30
Genesis 43-48

"How deep is your love" was a great song by the Bee Gees...but that's not what I am here to talk about :-)

Throughout the Bible the human life is likened to that of a tree. There are just so many...Psalm 1 "They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.

Jeremiah 17:8 "He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

There are many more. Trust me on this one...or don't...go ahead, look them up for yourself. The imagery of a tree is used so often and for good reason. We all know trees. We have all seen beautiful, green, lush trees and we all have seen dried up and withered ones as well. The picture is something we all share. The person (or "tree) that remains in God, that seeks God, that ponders His word and meditates on it day and night, the one who saturates his mind and heart with the truth of God's word is like a tree that never lacks and flourishes in all seasons. It's the message we see over and over again.

It is why I love the words found in Matthew 12:33-37....

“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad....For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

You would think words like this would make me shudder but we all know how I like direction and clear expectations. I like this stuff.

So what kind of tree are you??

We will be identified and remembered by our deeds, that much is clear here. But our deeds are ultimately an expression of what lies within. If a tree is to produce good fruit it has be good on the inside. It has to get good stuff in to it if it is going to have good stuff come out of it.

When I was in middle school I did a science fair project (I didn't really want to :-) My project..."The effects of salt water on pea plants." I'll tell you what the effects are...the plants died. The water I put into them ultimately caused their destruction. The inside of the plant was bad so.....

This verse is a call to be mindful of what we put into our hearts and minds and to understand that we are not be careless about our living...the effects of not "considering our ways" will be devastating.

...and then in Matthew 13 Jesus tells a story about a man planting seeds...read these verses because they talk about under what conditions a life for Jesus can flourish and under what conditions a life will end up, well, like my salt water pea plants.

"Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness." it says in Colossians 2:7-8. It is a call to build our lives upon the very bedrock of Jesus, upon the very living water of God's word. To allow our roots to grow deep so that our hearts and minds might be so saturated with God's truth that we will be like a good tree, like a tree planted along the riverbank.

I work with some great middle school students and last night at our Tuesday night group we had 55 kids attend. What excites me most about this number?? It is that I am being allowed to help all of them grow deep roots. It is my joy and pleasure to be used by God in this way and I can only hope that God is accomplishing this through me. That they would begin to plant themselves upon the life giving words of Jesus and that in doing so they can stand firm during what is a very difficult time in life. So much seeks to destroy them...to choke off the life giving truth and replace it with destructive "salt water." I want them to know the joy, peace, patience, and love that can only come from Jesus.

Oh how I pray that there roots will grow down into Him...so that they would be like the tree in Psalm 1...planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season. never withering,
and prospering in all they do

I want to be like that tree too...with deep roots...remaining green, not anxious, and bearing fruit

But how deep are our roots???

Why not start reading with me this year and we will see just how deep we can go :-)

Tomorrow's Reading:
Genesis 49-50
Matthew 13:31-58

See ya tomorrow :-)