FOUNDATIONS and ROOTS
Ephesians 3:17“…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,…”
It wasn’t that long ago that my wife, Carolyn decided to dig out some big old bushes which had been planted in our garden – they were probably 50-60 years old! They had been left to themselves for a lengthy period and become a little unsightly and out of control. After ruthlessly cutting the bushes right back and proceeding to try to dig-out what was left, she quickly discovered that what had already been removed had been ‘the easy bit.’ The deeper she went with her spade, the more apparent it was that she was dealing with a maze of strong, deep roots, which had intertwined and locked together.
What looked at first, to be a relatively easy task, ended up requiring more man-power (me), to dig much further down than initially anticipated, eventually leaving substantial holes as big as the original bush! The two of us were swinging with determination, using every ounce of our strength on the roots, (even after cutting many of them away), doggedly, rocking and jostling…as they just seemed to have an immovable grip. After what seemed to be an age, they started to loosen a little, eventually, reaching the stage where we could haul those bushes out one at a time. After we succeeded, we both lay back laughing, relieved, but totally exhausted!
In Ephesians 3, the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus about being, “Rooted and Grounded in Christ!” - “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 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. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! - Amen.”
Throughout the Book of Ephesians, Paul has been building on an analogy of structures: e.g.;- ‘Christ has broken down the dividing wall’…. ‘We are of God’s household’…. ‘We have been built upon the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets’…. ‘Christ is the Chief cornerstone of this holy Temple in the Lord’. …and now, ‘we are a Dwelling of God in the Spirit’!
The word, “grounded”, here, refers to ‘a solid foundation.’
As you will know, roots are the first part of a plant to grow! They are the first thing the seed produces! The root goes down into the nurturing soil, and it begins to take up the minerals and the moisture needed to produce foliage and fruit!
We can’t see the roots, (if they are where they’re supposed to be.) But a trained eye can tell much about their condition by what he/she sees above the ground!
As a Church leader, I’m sure you can easily see the analogy here, with a ‘Life filled with The Spirit of God?’ If you see no fruit on a fruit tree, you may suspect that the tree is not adequately rooted! For some reason or another, it is not absorbing the nutrition it needs, and in this picture the root; (which is ‘Love’), then becomes the soil we’re rooted in! — When a person professes to be a Christian, but there is no fruit evident, (and in fact there appears to be no desire to bear fruit), then, the only way to help them, is to go back to the issue of the roots! And the fruit we bear, (being fed by the soil we’ve been rooted in), should resemble Christ!
Similar to the Apostle Paul, my prayer for each one of you today is that, “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;”… and, in your service to others, that you may know what it is to be continually and firmly,…"rooted and grounded’ in ‘Love’...”
David Patterson