Maturing Roots

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT

Over the past two weeks we have talked about becoming rooted in Christ and our roots growing in Christ. The next part of the verse we need to talk about is, “Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.” This part of the verse is talking about us becoming mature. Did you notice? The trees are not affected by difficult events. It doesn’t say there are no hard times. The verse says there are hard times, they just don’t consume the mature tree. For a plant extreme heat and lack of water spell disaster; both will kill the tree. But if a tree has mature roots, roots that are well established in deep, good soil, it will not be as affected by events that are happening on the surface. Over years the roots have spread out, found water and food sources so no matter what is happening on the surface the tree is still being fed. The same can be true of us. If we continue to grow in Christ and we apply the truths we have learned from the Word to our daily life, allowing the Holy Spirit to have control, we will begin to mature in our faith. As our faith root matures the rest of our roots (trust, hope, understanding, knowledge…) will mature as well. Then when life happens and difficulties come, we are not rocked to our core, because our roots are feeding us the food we need in the middle of the storms we are facing. What does this maturity look like in our everyday lives? It is the knowledge and truths we have learned about God being worked out in us, the truth shaping how we respond to life, the very image of Christ being produced in us.
As a Christ-follower are you growing and becoming mature in Him? Or are you being overcome with the heat and drought of life?

-Pastor Tim