How Are Your Roots?

Yesterday,on my walk, I saw a huge tree fallen in the woods. It looked perfectly healthy, but the roots had rotted away, causing it to fall. God spoke to me, calling to mind all that has transpired throughout my life...He reminded me that what I am doing right now is building strong roots in Him, so I am able to withstand the winds and storms and opposition that arises through my life. Abiding in Him gives my roots nourishment. Trusting Him moment by moment makes my roots grow deep, obedience spreads them wide, and faith strengthens them, resisting decay. God's love is the water that causes them to grow, remain healthy, and bear fruit. Like trees, we all need to build a good root system in order to grow into who God meant us to be. And like a tree, this is a life long process, but without good, strong, healthy roots to draw our strength from each day, we will eventually fall, succumbing to the force of life's storm's. With a good root system in place, we will be able to weather the storms, we may have some branches broken off, but that's just God's way of pruning us making us ready for new growth. Sometimes, the pruning is hard, making us feel naked and abandoned, but it's our roots that sustain us in those times, and before we know it, there are new shoots sprouting from within. God is good, He is faithful and in Him is our strength for each day.

My prayer for us all is the same as that of the Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 3:14-21-

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 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 saints, 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.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.