An important question we all need to be asking ourselves is, “How deeply rooted am I with God?”
How blessed is the man
Who does not walk in the counsel
of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates
day and night.
He will be like a tree
Firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
(Psalm 1:1-3)
From my perspective, there can (basically) be three possibilities. Since this is about being “deeply rooted,” lets look at trees as the example…
1. Tree #1 is BIG! It has a lot of foliage above ground, provides a huge amount of pleasantly tasting fruit, looks really healthy, and is incredibly impressive in how big it really is. However, when looking below ground, the roots don’t go very deep or wide so this tree could topple in a small storm.
2. Tree #2 is healthy looking above ground, but maybe not as visually impressive as the previous tree. It doesn’t provide the massive quantity of fruit, but the taste is second to none. Below ground, the root system is deep and wide drawing much water from above ground sources as well as deep reservoirs. It would take a catastrophic storm to bring this one down.
3. The root system of this tree is it’s most impressive feature. The root system is MASSIVE and collects massive amounts of water coming from the surface and from deep sources below ground level. Above ground, however, it appears to be little more than a sapling with very little fruit produced to share, if any at all.
All of this leads me to the question:
“How close to God am I, really?”
Going back to Psalm 1, “Firmly planted by streams of water” implies that the roots run deep into the soil near a constant flow of the water that brings life to the tree, enabling it to produce the fruit it has been created to provide for the other life around it.
Do you find your roots are not deep enough to support the load you bear?
Do you feel as though your roots are deep, but there is not much fruit to be shared?
Which of these trees is most like you?
I was listening to a podcast the other morning and the speaker said,
“No one else can take responsibility for how deep you decide to go with God…When you hear God speak and you realize that God is taking you to a place of intimacy that you’ve never been before, you need to go there.”
Is God speaking to you, wanting to lead you to a place of deeper intimacy with Him but you don’t know, exactly, how to go about doing that?
We have the privilege of hearing stories of the deep growth that causes lives to be transformed. These deeply transformed lives produce the “best tasting” fruit that then begins to transform families, churches, and communities.
Is there something you are longing for? Perhaps deeper roots or “tastier” fruit?
Maybe it’s more “fertilizer” to maintain the health of your deep roots and good fruit…
Whatever your situation may be, we would love to come alongside you and grow with you. Consider participating in The Journey, A Way of Life, or Walking with Others.
If you have facilitated a process and walked alongside others in your setting in the past, find some others that are hungry to grow and facilitate again.
Fall is coming…don’t go dormant. Keep growing, sharing your “tasty” fruit, and helping others who are hungry to do the same.
