Roots of Love

Have you ever tried to push over a tree? I’ll bet that if it was a nice healthy big old tree that you had very little luck with accomplishing the task. Note that I often see the tree itself break off and fall before its roots ever release there grasp on the soil. This of course is only where the soil is deep and rich. Well, I have a story about something else, doesn’t involve the tree itself, just a part that makes it stand tall and true, its roots.

When I was much younger than the young person I am now, I was playing with two of my cousins behind my grandparent’s cabin. We were having a great time playing in the dirt, and decided to take a break I suppose. We walked over to the cliff that lay behind the cabin and looked down. Below since the tide was down was a wonderful beach of sharp rocks and more rocks. We were arguing at whether or not you would survive the plunge when the tide was up. I knew that the tide was only a couple feet in difference at our cabins and I decided it would be a rather painful and perhaps deadly experience. Upon continued disagreement, we decided to go back to playing; my cousins turned away and went back to the dirt. I turned after further examining the situation and went to take a step when the ground beneath fell away and I with it. My first thought was something like, “Oh dang!” Then followed the frantic grabbing for something to save me from the landing, since the fall was the lesser in physical pain. I fell past the loose black dirt with nothing in it to hold to, and made it to the bed rock where there were some tree roots that had been exposed over time. I grabbed on to one and held on for dear life, the root strong and steady did its job well. My cousins noticing my shrieking terrified screams like that of a young boy came over to pull me back up to safety. Yeah, I was saved by a root that was strong enough to hold me from my death.

Mathew 13:21 NLT

“But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.”

The point in that verse is that we must seek to have deep roots, but deep into what. We need to be strong so that we may be tall and remain standing for all to see.

Ephesians 3:17-18
“Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into Gods love and keep you strong. 18And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide , how long, how high, how deep His love is.”

There you have it, the love of God is what your roots must grow deep into, so that you may know it and live as a strong tall tree that can not be pushed down or removed from its foundation. I encourage you to do this, to seek Him earnestly and daily, so that you may know His love.

So what does my story of being saved by the roots of a tree have to do with all this about having strong roots? I’m sure that you have many friends and co-workers that do not know the love of Christ and there for are not strong enough to hold there course when troubles come there way. I encourage you to have strong roots so that when they need it, when they begin to fall you can stretch one out for them to grab hold of. You can love them like God does, but in a way that they can know since they do not know God himself. In this you will wear Christ for them; you will show them the face of God and start a work in there lives that we pray will one day lead to them to having there own roots in the love of God.

Ephesians 3:19 NLT
“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.”