“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19)
This whole idea of being rooted and grounded has been on my mind all afternoon. We must always keep in mind that Paul was not Shakespeare: whereas Shakespeare would “fluff” his writings – use superfluous language to make it sound more grandiose or bigger than life – the Bible doesn’t use such flowery language. Every word, every syllable, every punctuation mark gives specific meaning. There are no wasted words in the Bible.
Keeping this in mind, let’s look first at the word “rooted.” I think it is pretty easy to understand what Paul meant here. We are to plumb the depths of God, to discover all He has for us. Today I might not need to read words about healing, but I might need to study peace. In my need I will search out what I can find in scripture that will teach me, that will guide my prayers as I approach God. In Him I will find peace. In Him I will be firmly planted, drawing upon the water of His Word and the strength of His Holy Spirit. It is from Him and in Him I love, and move, and have my being. His is the Source of my nourishment spiritually, mentally, and physically. If my taproot, the deepest root I plant, is drawing from human wisdom and knowledge, my life will be sickly and weak. Ahhh, but if I draw from the Source of Life, I will get all I need to be a healthy, growing child of God. That’s rooted.
“Grounded” adds another layer of meaning, however, to what Paul is telling us. To be grounded means to build a solid foundation, to use this nourishment for my growth. I don’t just grow deep, though. The taproot is the primary feeder for the plant (in this case I will use a tree). It continues to probe ever-deeper in search of nourishment. If the ground grows dry on the surface, the taproot will go however deep it needs to in order to sustain life. BUT there are other roots that fan out from the taproot. I recently found out there are four different types of root systems in a tree. I won’t bore you with them, I will just call them supplementary roots. They start with the taproot and grow outward as well as downward. They don’t go as deep as the taproot, but they form a structure below the surface that supports the tree and anchors it to the earth. The height of the tree reflects the depth of the taproot, and the width of the spread of the tree reflects the radius of the supplementary root system. The tree not only draws nourishment from the earth, it also uses that nourishment to build upward and outward. This is being truly grounded.
Paul has much to say about growing in the Lord throughout our lives. We are to be always seeking fresh nourishment, knowing God in new ways, pressing in to be refreshed by His Word and His Spirit. If we grow too high too quickly the slightest breeze will topple us over – will uproot us. This is why Paul warned the early church to not make a novice a leader within the Body. This will cause that person to become too top heavy without the supporting roots to hold it steady. He also encourages the Church to grow in depth (in wisdom, in relationship with Christ). If we have a huge growth in numbers in our local body (new salvations) but fail to disciple them and teach them properly, we will grow large in appearance (our canopy will be great), but again we will be susceptible to dehydration, disease, and death, having no nourishment flowing through us. Pastors often concentrate on the size of their congregations but forget the more important factor of the growth of relationship in our walk with God. That growth must be proportional and develop on its own.
The same is true with you and me, my friend. It is heady stuff, indeed, to be recognized for your talents and abilities. It is natural to seek out positions of authority and power – to want to rise to the top. It is also quite normal for a pastor to want his or her congregation to grow in numbers, because that is one sign of life within any organization. And it is similarly normal for you and I to want to live in a large place (figuratively speaking) – to want for nothing, to need nothing, to be full. However, if I seek glory and fame without a true relationship with my Lord and Savior, I will surely fall. If I seek all the blessings and all the frills without developing my love for God and seeking His way, I will be susceptible to follow every strange new doctrine that holds out promises in the name of God. With my taproot I discover God’s strength and life, with my supplementary root systems I discover His goodness.
My challenge to you, dear reader, is to check your growth and life. What have you discovered about God within the past year? What has He shown you about yourself and Him that left you speechless? Likewise, what has God done for you in the past year that left you standing in awed blessing? Do you know Him better now than you ever have? Have you seen His hand on your life, giving you good and perfect gifts from heaven? Sit with God over a cup of coffee (or glass of water, etc.) and just relax with Him. Talk with Him as you would with a friend. But don’t do all the talking. Let Him speak to your heart and mind. Allow Him to reveal Himself to you.
Be blessed.
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