Rooted and Established
How are your roots?
Verse of the Day
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, 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.”
Today’s Devotional
What does it mean to be rooted and established in love? According to the commentaries I read, there are 2 analogies in the same sentence. “Rooted” makes reference to a tree and “established” refers to the foundation of a building.
Let’s think about our foundation, the rock upon which our life is built. Is the foundation of my life built upon the love of God that is available to me through Jesus? Think of the words of Jesus in Matthew 7: “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
If the storms of life are causing me to fall apart, then maybe my foundation isn’t built on Jesus. According to Jesus, I can strengthen my foundation by listening and following. Hearing the teachings of Jesus and DOING THOSE THINGS. That’s what I want my foundation to be built on.
Now think of a tree. All of the strength that a tree has comes from its roots. The nutrients that it needs to live and thrive come from the roots, which cannot be seen above the ground. But the evidence of those roots is clearly visible. One commentary states, “A tree draws nutrition from and is strengthened against uprooting in storms by its roots, so it should be for us through the love of Christ.”
Both of these analogies imply that the “storms” which will test the roots and foundation are inevitable. So why am I surprised when life is difficult?
Next, I noticed for the first time that it takes power to grasp the love of Christ. Power that I won’t have without the proper roots and foundation. Without a knowledge of basic arithmetic, there’s no way that I’ll understand calculus. So clearly we are being told that having even a small understanding of Christ’s love is higher level spiritual growth, but yet it is a simple truth. Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
But how can I know something that surpasses knowledge? I can know pieces of something without knowing the whole thing. I live in the United States, but I have not been to every square inch of this country. There are places that I have not yet visited, and even some that I have visited that I do not “know”. I believe that’s what is implied here. We will not truly know the width, depth, length, or height of this great love until eternity. Until then, we can be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God, just by the glimpses of Christ’s love that we see and experience on this side of heaven.
We have the ability to strengthen our roots and foundation. To do that, we need to be listening to God – through the Word, in devotionals, from sermons, from books, in podcasts. When we hear something that is convicting, we need to obey what God is asking of us. That will strengthen us, little by little. As we are strengthened, we become better able to grasp Christ’s love for us. As we learn to understand how loved we are, we are filled. When we are full, this love is what spills out onto others.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How would you grade your roots and foundation based on the storms you’ve experienced in your life?
How can you make them stronger? Specifically? Today?
What glimpses has God given you of the love of Christ?