THE IMPORTANCE OF ROOTS

Therefore as you have received
walk in Him,
having been firmly rooted and
now being built up in Him and
established in your faith, just as
you were instructed, and
overflowing with gratitude.
Colossians 2:6,7

We may be seeing some beginnings of Spring here in the mountains. It seems a long time coming with all of the weeks of rain, swelled rivers and rock slides that we have been experiencing. Trees are flowering as are jonquils in all their golden glory. Some early wild flowers are making their appearances and RV's are rolling into town to hopefully soak in the feelings of Springtime.

Prior to grass greening up, are the weeds making appearances. Obviously, we didn't do a good job last Fall in ridding ourselves of these pests. They poke their leaves and even blossoms above ground almost in a taunting way. I'm amazed at how weeds can disguise themselves as pretty blossoms and flowers. My granddaughter last week brought me a small bouquet of such heather-looking blossoms. I put them in a cup of water and even then, they refused to die and lingered for days.

There is a lot to be said for weeds. They are tough with a determination to exist on their own terms. Much of their success is due to good roots. Roots represent beginnings.” We hear of roots that are related to people and the importance of the roots of their ancestries running deep...an indicator of health, security and belonging. Even with good roots, people have little bragging rights compared to the most important root mentioned in Scripture found in the book of Isaiah 11:1,2:

Then a root will spring from the stem
of Jesse, and a branch from
his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and strength,
the spirit of knowledge and the
fear of the Lord.

I realize roots are important for so many reasons in the natural sense, but the promise of Jesus coming from the stem of Jesse, the root that would bear fruit and be all for the world it needed. That root could never be uprooted or destroyed. It (He) would bear fruit that we have benefited from that will see us into eternity
.

We benefit in so many ways through that precious root, Jesus. What exactly do roots do for any plant life?
* they provide nutrition for whatever the plant is
* they provide stability for a plant as it grows holding it in place, and
* their work is unseen in bringing forth fruit or beauty

Roots don't just happen. They come in the very beginning from a seed. Seeds don't just become plants. It takes good soil, water, and eventually sun as the root forms, matures and sends sprouts upward through the topsoil. The root even then continues to feed the plant ensuring it's survival. To fully survive, the plant must stay grounded in the earth via the root.

If we are to grow in Christ, it will mean being rooted and grounded in His love. It will mean our spirit is watered with the Word of God on a regular basis and being people of prayer. 

Our goal should be that of growing in the Lord and being fruitful for His glory. Speaking of the blessed person in Psalm 1:3, we have a good description of what we should aim for in our relationship with the Lord:

He (the blessed person) will be like a tree firmly planted
by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season.
And it's leaf does not wither; and in whatever
he does, he prospers.

Spring is here and as much as we can enjoy the beauty of God's nature, we should be just as concerned for our own spiritual growth that can come only when we are grounded and rooted deeply in Jesus Christ. May our desire be to grow our spiritual deeper and deeper in Christ so we will be more fruitful, and yes, beautiful for His glory.

Dear Father, keep me growing and flourishing in You. I want to be fruitful for Your kingdom and glory. May I be alert to any weeds of sin that can seem to sneak into my life. Forgive me for all the times I sin and disappoint you. Thank You for Jesus who makes life worth living everyday. In His precious name....Amen

LOADED WITH BENEFITS

Blessed be the Lord, who daily
loadeth us with benefits, even
the God of our salvation.
Psalm 68:19

When being interviewed for a position with any business, of great interest is the salary being offered by the prospective employer. There are things of interest in this process especially the salary. One wants information on specific responsibilities, schedule of work and who one reports to on the job. Still in the back of one's mind is something we've come to know as “benefits.” Benefits, where a job is concerned, are those payments or gifts given by an employer that is above one's regular salary. Benefits may include vacation days, sick pay, stock payouts, retirement accounts, and other things offered by a company.

Benefits are often awarded by financial institutions as incentive for one's contribution to the company. Professional athletes receive benefits and bonus's for game performance, championships and team spirit. Their benefits often go into the thousands or millions of dollars in the sports profession.

Our verse from Psalms says the Lord loads us with benefits. I love that word “loads.” You and I are blessed in abundance, over and over again on a daily basis with benefits we don't stop to consider, let alone deserve. Our prayers before bed may be no more than “Now I lay me down to sleep...”, etc. We list our prayer requests and then put our heads on the pillow. Rarely do we just lay quietly thinking about God's goodness regarding that particular day.

David stressed the importance of our salvation. but from his standpoint, speaks of those “loads of benefits” that were his from the Lord. One can read of his life and the way God led and directed not only a boy before a giant, but also of a king who fought other giants in his adult life. His life was preserved over and over as others wanted him dead. Despite his failings, there was genuine repentance and God's hand of blessing and anointing rested on His life.

What of our benefits? Can we look back and see the benefits of God He's loaded on us over and over, faithfully giving to us things we don't even consider benefits anymore? I wonder if we aren't scant in our gratitude for the loads of blessing He gives over and over. They are “loaded” on us every day of a year. Many of those things we've just come to expect and don't even regard as special anymore such as: clothes in our closet, gas in our car's tank, food in our refrigerator, good health and living in the greatest country in the world. Those are just a few we rarely consider.

Our benefits may be alike in many ways. However, our benefits are very individualized just as our relationship with our Lord is. We are a blessed people with a loving Father who sees to our every need...person by person. All of us have the benefit of a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus. We also have the privilege of owning a copy of God's Word. Without it, we can't know specific information about Him and His story. This is the completeness of His story as He has chosen to give it to us. He is also available to us 24/7 for private conferences. He is the only One I know of who can meet my every need at a moments notice. All of this is available without listing all of the other benefits that are ours through Jesus.

My personal hope is that I will be a grateful person regarding God's goodness in my life. I tend to be ungrateful, giving little thought to all the blessings God “loads” into my life.. Just to begin listing the benefits of God in my life would be exhausting. I do know that all that is mine through Him is wrapped up with an abiding love I'll never understand. The same is true for you as well.

Thank You, Father, for every blessing You give us moment by moment. You pour Your love into our lives despite our undeserving state. Thank You for Jesus and His gift of eternal life to us. May we live lives of gratitude and in ways that please You. In Jesus' precious name...Amen.

NOTHING'S NEW

Is there anything of which one
might say, “See this, it is new?”
Already it has existed for ages
which were before us.
Ecclesiastes 1:10

Lately I've been reading through the book of Ecclesiastes...yes, it's really a book in the Bible. It's one of those that is nestled between Proverbs and Song of Solomon. I remember where it is because both Proverbs and Ecclesiastes were penned by Solomon with Holy Spirit leading. So often we feel that much of the Bible is out of date. Even Christians who love God's Word can take on that attitude if they aren't careful. I look at this particular book and wonder if Solomon hasn't been looking in our living groom windows, halls of Congress, Wall street investment desks and maybe even into our church buildings
.

Solomon was a blessed man. He gave the right answer when God told him he could have anything he wanted. He could have had military power, riches and whatever else many people would have asked for. Solomon simply asked for wisdom. As a result, God added other of Solomon's wishes to the list because Solomon had given God the answer He wanted.

Unfortunately, wisdom and the riches God gave him didn't seem to be enough. His pride and riches became compulsions in his life and in this book that is also considered a wisdom book gives his frustration with all of his achievements.

First in chapter 1:13,17 he says, “I set my mind.” In verse 13 he sets his mind on wisdom, but also on the burden that can be man's with all of God's provision. In 17, Solomon's goal is different in that he wants to set his mind to know wisdom, but now is wanting to know more about the madness of folly. We must be careful what we set our minds on because we will usually do all we can to achieve whatever it is. He's even decided in verse 18:

Because in much wisdom there is much grief,
and increasing knowledge results in
increasing pain.

In chapters 2 & 3, Solomon speaks of all the things he added to his coffers he speaks of where we might be in our day in 2:10.

All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them.
I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,
for my heart was pleased because of all my
labor and this was my reward for all my labor.

I can hear us now. I may have said something similar at times. “I've worked hard and there's nothing wrong with buying myself some things I want and deserve. I can buy anything I set my mind on and can have as much fun as I want.” Does any of that sound familiar. It's pretty much the mind set of our society today.

Solomon wasn't finished though and there's so much more:

Furthermore, I have seen under the
sun that in the place of justice there is
wickedness and in the place of
righteousness there is wickedness.
(4:16)

Take a look at the judicial system in our country and how messed up it is. The worst of criminals either go free or with a mere slap on the hands. Judges have a bias depending on what political party put them in office. Policemen can try to arrest a speeding driver and the policeman can face any number of false accusations. The same problems in this area have trickled down from Solomon into our own society.

One more of of many:

There is a grievous evil which I have seen
under the sun: riches being hoarded by their
owner to his hurt.
(5:13)

Does this have a familiar ring to it? From hoarders we see on TV to those who scam people any number of ways in order to gain all the wealth they can at another's expense. Even we may fall into the same trap of saving things we may never use.

My prayer for us is we will live lives that will honor God in every way whether it be in our work, spending, possessions, amusements. If the richest man who lived came to know the folly of riches and things of this world that were for nothing when they become a compulsion, can't we learn his lesson no matter how mere our riches and possessions may be?

Father, I'm so grateful that You never change. You decided how things should be long before time began and you have adhered to those things to the letter. Thank You for the security in knowing You stay the same and that sameness will always remain. I praise You today for who You are in my life. Thank You for Jesus and it' in His name I pray....Amen

LIFE VERSES

The Lord is my light and my
salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my
life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1,2

When a junior in high school, some relatives of my grandmother came to visit from the distant state of Minnesota. Among those relatives was a girl, Judy, who was at the time a senior in high school while I was a junior. She was absolutely gorgeous physically, but also had a radiance about her that I knew at that young age could only be of the Lord. We talked a lot in those few days. She shared the Scriptures with me like I had never experienced with someone more my age. She gave me her senior picture for my billfold. On the back she wrote a sweet note and then under her name wrote: Philippians 1:21. I asked her about that and she told me the verse was her life verse. I had never heard of a life verse...what it was or what it meant. Judy had signed her picture with that reference and told me she usually did that when she signed her name
.

For a time I adopted Philippians 1:21 as my life verse. It's a wonderful verse for anytime in one's life:

For me to live is Christ,
and to die is gain.

That is a great verse to cover just about every area and experience in one's life. I often think of it and quote it to myself when I have the need for it's encouragement. However, as life as progressed for me and I have lived through the various ups and downs life presents, I often come across verses that seem to really apply for present circumstances.

 For living a Christ-filled life daily is such a wonderful thing despite my shortcomings and failures. I know no matter how good life is right now, the best is yet to come. Many verses have come to be life verses for me at various times. It was a good day when it dawned on me that I can have several verses in the pocket of my heart to pull out and claim for any number of events in my life.

This morning as I awoke, Psalm 27:1,2 came to my mind like a flash. It was comforting. Lately I've been pretty tired, a little on the “fritz”. These verses have come to be such a blessing for this particular time. Sometimes we of the “more mature” generation can become a little fearful at times as our issues are different from the average thirty year old. These verses have come to be sources of encouragement and peace. I can't say I'm fearful at the moment, but my life concerns are different than they were 20 years ago.  Maybe you like me need to be assured that the Lord is our LIGHT, SALVATION and the STRENGTH of our lives. Because of that, we have to walk in fear. Those are verses for any time of life.

By the way, every verse in God's Word has purpose for our lives. All sorts of verses may come to have special meaning, but they in isolated form cannot take away from the entire counsel of God. We can “go hunting” for verses. The Holy Spirit knows our every need and will give us what we need from His Word if we ask Him to. We are very lax in memorizing Scripture verses and yet such verses become spiritual life preservers and thus, they all become LIFE VERSES.

Dear Father...I'm so grateful for Your Word inspired by Your Spirit. It means more to me than I can say. You have loved me through it. You've given me strength, encouragement and yes, correction I badly needed at times. When the day comes that dying is gain for me, then I'll see it all unfold in person. Through it, I came to know Jesus and am so grateful, so I pray these things in His name....Amen