October 31

Deep Roots, Better Fruit

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  ––Romans 5:1-5

During drought, grape vines will often grow deeper into the soil to find water, and the result can be richer, better grapes. And of course, better grapes produce better wine. Especially during a light or moderate drought year, the following season’s harvest will tend to be good. However, if hit with several drought years in a row, or even one severe drought season, grapes can suffer.

The analogies here for us are many, and God’s Word has a lot to so about growth during tough times. Let’s focus on the key words we find in today’s verse:

Glory: We often think of military situations when the word “glory” pops up. When Paul uses it in Romans 5:1, he’s talking about the “hope of the glory” we have in God. In other words, we can rejoice in the fact that our position is secure in Christ, and that by faith alone so is our heavenly security. But how can we possibly glory in our sufferings (verse 3)? The only way to do that is to live with an eternal mindset, knowing—even before hardships hit—whose we are and that only He can use suffering to drive our roots down into deeper soil to reach better water. Look, none of us enjoys suffering, but when we submit our troubles and challenges to God, He will use them to produce richer fruit it us.

Perseverance: Persevering is about staying the course through difficult and uncomfortable circumstances. And without hope, perseverance is miserable and nearly impossible. To persevere is to once again keep our eyes on the eternal prize—to run our race with the hope we have in Jesus.

Character: In God’s Kingdom, character has everything to do with living a life that emulates Christ in thought and action, and very little to do with the world’s metrics of what “success” looks like. A man of character fixes his moral compass on God’s Word and does not deviate from it, even when no one else is watching. Again, we start with the hope of our salvation, pre-determine how we will react in times of hardship, and then set our course. Will we deviate and stumble? Most of us, yes (including yours truly). Character, however, doesn’t necessarily diminish when we fail or stumble, and can actually rise when we face our defects head on, take the necessary actions to correct them, and get back on course.

Hope: The byproduct of deciding in advance that we will follow Jesus in word and deed is hope. Why? Because hope is at the heart of the Kingdom of God—backwards and forwards in the Bible God gives mankind hope—for deeper intimacy and relationship with Him, and for an eternal reward that will make this life’s hardships pale in comparison. Notice that Paul says this hope does not put us to shame—in other words, the enemy (who is the king of shame) will have no hold on us as we release our hold on the world and it’s false hopes.

When we put into practice the principles of Romans 5:1-5, we are placing both our present and future in the hands of the kind of hope that is eternal, supernatural, and unwavering. Such hope will shine so brightly in God’s men of character that it will pierce the darkness of even our most difficult and dark days.

Father, in times of spiritual and emotional drought, drive my roots deep into the wells of Your Living Water. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who nourishes and sustains me to produce deeper and better fruit!