Deeply Rooted
One thing about living in Stanthorpe is, you get to meet a variety of trees. To begin with, you have the fruit trees - apples and pears and stone fruit - peaches, plums, apricot trees and so on. But then you have tress such as the willow trees, the poplar trees with their beautiful autumn colours, and of course the ironbark trees, standing out proud and tall in the middle of the paddocks. Now where do you normally find the willow trees? That's right - on the banks of creeks and rivers. They grow lushly by the river bed and they have a ready access to the water that they thrive on. And as such, they have shallow roots. But when the heavy rains come, and the floodwaters come rushing down the creek or river, oops, we've got a problem. The Willow trees are easily uprooted and washed away.
But what about the ironbark trees - growing out there in the paddock? The rainfall in Stanthorpe is not very great - about 20 ins or 50 cms of rain per year. They do not have water lapping at their roots, or at their trunks. So how do they survive? They use everything they get, and their roots are deep. Guess which one is still standing after a violent storm - or a flood? Yes, the one with the roots going deep - the ironbark.
Now the Bible verse I would like to share with you today, is about those roots. Not so much the roots of trees in the paddock or trees by the river bed, but God's trees - that would be you and me. We read in Colossians 2:6-7 - "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Now, this describes the point of entry into a relationship with Christ. It says, "...just as you received Christ".
Do you remember when you were inquiring about the Christian faith, going to Youth Group or Bible Study and to Church on Sundays? Or do you remember when you opened your life to Christ - how dependent you were on Him? how hungry you were to get into His Word? how boldly and frequently you prayed; how trusting you were? Well, you see, this is why it is necessary to talk about this Bible verse from Colossians 2:6-7 - because we have a tendency to get lazy about sending those spiritual roots deep into God's Word. Because we become complacent and withdraw ourselves from the scene. Those roots which are the channels by which the Lord Jesus becomes real to you, whither up and begin to starve our hearts and mind of the spiritual food we need to keep growing as a Christian, and just as importantly, to becoming a Christian.
See, in many ways, you can be like the willow tree that I described earlier--the one with all that nourishment at its disposal, but when the storms of life come, or issues arise, or someone plants doubts into your mind, or you just want a way out so as not to believe in, or take God (and the Bible) seriously, you get blown over! That’s because your roots aren't very deep and when the roots are out of the water (away from any Biblical or ‘God' influence like worship, Bible study or other Christians), those roots begin to shrivel and die, and before long you are starved of the food necessary for a true relationship with Christ, and spiritually.
Now, let's talk about Christians who are in the drier places, but who have sent their roots down deep to draw spiritual nourishment from every Christian/Biblical source they can - consistent, personal Bible study, fervent prayer, deep roots in Christ’s love, always learning...always growing. The storms come, but these Christians draw upon God's grace to stand firm in Christ. Issues arise, but they are able to find answers from God's Word. People like the sceptic Richard Dawkins are unable to "rattle" their faith, because they have experienced the living God. The talk of wars, the ever possibility of a catastrophe such as we have seen in Japan, the United States, New Zealand and even in our own country - these do not threaten their stability and security, because their eternal security is in Christ. You see, because of their deep roots, they "continue to live in Him rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
You know, maybe it's time now for you to check whether your roots need to be growing. When a tree dies because the roots have died, it is beyond help. The Good News is that while your spiritual roots are all but dead, they can be revived by God's grace, and begin to grow deep into the ground,drawing spiritual nourishment from every Christian/Biblical source. A good place to start is to read the Bible, to ask God to help you in prayer, and to be with Christians at Church and at Bible Study Groups. And when you really come to know Christ, He lifts all the guilt and garbage that has been clogging your life. What joy and peace. And what a delight to be His and serving Him because of His great love for you. Keep growing roots, firm and deep. Then when the storm or the drought comes, you'll stand tall through it all. Grace and peace....