How Deep Are Your Roots?

I am not a farmer and the easiest thing for me to grow is weeds. A couple of months ago, I planted two tomato plants and some pepper plants and the healthiest looking tomato plant just died one day. I had fed it with Miracle Grow and kept it watered but one morning I went out and it was shriveled and dying. This morning, I pulled that plant out of the ground thinking the main stem must have broken beneath the ground surface. But when I pulled it up, I realized the roots had not went very deep into the ground. I did all the right stuff when I planted it; I fertilized and kept the weeds away and continued to feed it and water it but if the roots don't develop and run deeper than these did, it will die.
How similar is this situation to our own Christian lives? If our roots, in our belief and trust in Jesus, don't run deep enough, our spiritual well being will soon wilt. How deep are your roots? Sometimes, I feel like my roots are at the surface and gasping for air. We all have those days when things just don't line up, when things are seeming to work against you. But when our roots have been given the opportunity to develop and grow, we will be able to handle those days and anything else the enemy will toss our way.
But there is more to having our roots running deep in Jesus than having a good day. What does it mean to have a good root system or to have our roots run deep? It would be easy for me to use the parable of the sower as an example but that deals basically with heart conditions when given the gospel message. After we are saved, our hearts must continue to be fertile, as stated in Jesus' explanation of this parable as stated in verse 23 of this passage in Matthew.

The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

What is Jesus saying, concerning a harvest which produces a multiple times as many as what was planted? When I heard the gospel message, regardless of how it was delivered, the seed was planted in my heart, one seed. That is the way it works; when the gospel seed is planted into our hearts and its roots run deep, there will be many more gospel seeds planted by that one person. Every time we tell someone about Jesus, we are planting a seed. Now, it may fall on a footpath, shallow soil, among thorns or on a fertile, softened heart ready to receive Jesus as their savior. But, if the roots have not ran deep and their is no evidence of fruit in that life, there probably won't be much production in the way of planting gospel seeds. 

We can't know the absolute truth concerning any one's salvation; only God knows their heart and its condition. Sometimes we are quick to make a determination concerning someone's salvation and we could be wrong. What I mean by this is making a judgement call on another person's relationship with Jesus. If we look at all those heart conditions listed in the parable, all but the fertile soil will eventually prove there is no relationship with Jesus. I have been around a number of people who have claimed to be saved but in a matter of a few months, they were busy denying their salvation or living the life which they had been living prior to their false claim. Once the novelty wears off, they don't want bothered with it any longer and it's obvious there is no relationship with Jesus. They might as well hang a sign on the neck proclaiming they are not saved. For the true believer, the person who is a true follower of Jesus, what is obvious is the fruit production. The proclaimer of a said faith will have no desire to tell others about Jesus or to be involved in outreach ministry or intense Bible study and prayer. Oh, don't misunderstand, initially they will be excited about some of this stuff but it will soon wane and the excitement is gone. They soon begin to wilt and eventually die to the experience of the church life because for them, that's all it was. It was nothing more than an experience in church life, not a living relationship with Jesus. Here's how Paul describes it in Galatians chapter 5, verses 22-23,

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

If we don't see any of these in the life of a person, there might be a problem. Now, we are not going to produce all of these all of the time or the same time but, there should be some evidence of something mentioned here. And, it doesn't mean we have nothing to do with that person either. We must encourage and speak Jesus into their lives when we have the opportunity. Don't challenge them in way as to put them down or be critical. This will do nothing but push them away. We must show them the love of Jesus, allow the Spirit to soften their heart to the point it is fertile and ready.

So, how do we keep those roots running deep? Here's a list of things we can do to maintain that deep rooted relationship with Jesus. Prayer, good solid communication with God. Sincere, from the heart communication with God. He is not our sugar daddy as some would want you to believe so prayer is not a laundry list of I need or I want. God does know our needs and He will provide in His time and His way. God just wants to hear from us; for some, He hasn't heard from them in years. I read where a pastor admitted he hadn't prayed for 20 years! Jesus already knows our concerns, our ailments and our needs; He just wants to hear from us concerning these things.

Next is Bible study. As we read and study the Bible, we will then know more about how to pray and communicate with God. Bible reading and the study of it will enrich our Christian lives. It is our manual for living, it is our book of instruction and provides every bit of information we need for this Christian life and a deep roots system. A daily Bible reading program is extremely helpful and very beneficial in being more familiar with God's word. There are far to many Christians with a shallow root system and it starts with the lack of Bible reading and general knowledge of God's word. Bible study with a group is really helpful. A good Bible study, which actually studies the Bible and not some book about the Bible or something else, will provide a means of spiritual growth to help support deep roots. There are a number of different Bible studies available at most churches and if not, find one. It doesn't matter if it's a men's or women's or mixed group study, it will be very helpful and a blessing.

Finally, fellowship with other believers. The Bible tells us to meet together, to encourage one another, to pray for one another and it also tells us to correct and rebuke when necessary. Fellowship with other Christians is essential to our growth. Proverbs 27:17 tells us, 

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

So, how's your root system doing? I know I work at trying to keep mine healthy and deeper but it's is not a simple task. We have to put in the work and with Jesus as our guide and our savior, He will always be there to strengthen us when we have that tendency to get weaker or slower in our walk with Him. Remember, a closer walk with Jesus provides a strong, healthy root system and that close walk comes by way of the practices I listed above. In the words of an old hymn, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way....."

-Bill Petite