March 21
Be Rooted in God Each Day (4)
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. ––Matthew 7:16-20
Rooted in love and established inwardly, we start building a new life in Christ. But how? Think about a first house or apartment that you need to move into and make livable. You start with the big stuff you need for daily existence, like your bed, then a dining-room or kitchen table. A close third is a couch and maybe a few chairs for the living room, where people can relax or watch some TV.
There is a natural priority system. You begin with furnishing your dwelling based on what is needed most, and then you build from there. Most people can’t purchase everything they need right away, so they look to add the next thing that will make their home either more functional or more pleasing to be in. It’s an ongoing process.
Your life, the Bible says, is like a house that God inhabits, which needs to be built up on a daily basis. You add to it to make it more effective, welcoming, and pleasing to God. Just like the home you live in, there is always a project that needs your attention. You are God’s dwelling, and in His mind, there is always a project or two or three to work on to add to His abode.
Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ––2 Peter 1:5-8
This is the above-ground life the below-ground rooting in God’s love activates in the form of following Jesus each day. Whether you are a young Christian or a lifelong believer isn’t as important as following Christ on a daily basis. A yes to following Jesus is, by default, a no to building your life in other ways.
When you build something, you need material to build with, and the quality of that material will determine the quality of what is built. Much of coastal Southern California is built upon sedimentary geologic features. Most of the low areas in my area were once part of a shallow sea. The mistake folks have made in California over the decades is building on unstable ground comprised of various sedimentary substances. Translated: they built on shaky or otherwise unstable ground, which often causes misery or disaster when heavy rains or earthquakes strike.
Build on solid ground. You already have the tools (your gifts, experiences, intellect, spirit), you just need to right Foundation.
Father, my above-ground life could use some shoring up—help me secure my foundation as I press further into You.