How to be fruitful (2)

‘The godly have deep roots.’
Proverbs 12:3 NLT

You must cultivate deep spiritual roots. ‘Blessed are those who trust in the Lord…They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by…heat or worried by…months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit’ (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT). This Scripture gives you one reason why you need deep spiritual roots: to make it through the rough times – times of heat and drought. Solomon said, ‘No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted’ (Proverbs 12:3 NIV). It’s when seasons of adversity hit your life that you discover what you’re ‘rooted’ to: God’s strength or merely your own. When the Bible speaks of ‘heat’, it’s speaking about the pressures of life. When it speaks about ‘drought’, it’s speaking about seasons of crisis and lack. What’s the answer? ‘Roots that reach deep into the water.’ What’s the result? ‘They never stop producing fruit.’ Because of their roots, the giant redwoods of Northern California can withstand the major forest fires. If you were to measure the roots of a large oak tree, they would stretch out for several hundred miles. That’s why they’re stable in the storms of life. Paul writes this: ‘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…you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God’ (Ephesians 3:16-17, 19 NLT).

Bible in a Year: Genesis 4-6, Matthew 2

Credit: The Word For Today.