Roots

Ephesians 3:16-17, “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong” (NLT).

Chances are if someone is a Christian, they want to grow. They want to make progress, they want to do better, they want to get out of the rut of sin and shame. We all want to become strong and mature Christians.

A lot of times we try to do this by gaining more knowledge about theology or doctrine. Other times we rely on to-do lists like praying for fifteen minutes a day, reading our Bibles for twenty, etc, etc.

We can get so caught up in our spiritual to-do lists and strategies that we find ourselves relying on them to give us strength; to help us break through.

But where does Paul say our strength comes from in Ephesians chapter three? He says, “Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong,” (emphasis mine).

God’s love. God’s grace. That’s what makes us mature in Christ. That’s what gives us the power and wisdom to turn away from our sins and follow Him. That’s what gives us strength, and understanding, and power.

To-do lists and strategies won’t make us stronger Christians. Working harder and striving more won’t give us the victory and growth we crave.

Only God’s love can do that. And as we immerse ourselves into the unending depths of His love something crazy happens. He transforms us. As our hearts come in contact with the love of our Savior they begin to be changed. The deeper we fall in love with Him the more our hearts are transformed.

Question: Do you feel like you're trying to grow your spiritual roots by doing things for God, or by going deeper into His love?

Ephesians 3:18-19, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (NLT).

Isaiah 30:15, "This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it" (NLT).