Rooted

Ezekiel 17:24
All the trees of the field will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. “I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.”

In order for a tree to grow it must have strong roots. The deeper the roots go down the more nutrients they get and the more anchoring they receive in times of storm. The old gospel song used to proclaim, “Like a tree planted by the waters, I shall not be moved.” Even with strong roots trees can be moved anytime God gets ready. We are the trees that God plants and uproots whenever he gets ready. When we are rooted in him we flourish, but when we are shallow, planted in superficial soil, producing plastic fruit, God oftentimes uproots us. Any tree that does not produce fruit he uproots.

The fruit of the Sprit that we should be producing in our lives is found in Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The key to producing fruit and being rooted is being humble. When we humble ourselves God raises us up, but when we exalt ourselves God will bring us down. God says, here to Ezekiel, “I will bring down tall trees and dry up green trees.” But when we humble ourselves he raises up low trees and causes dry trees to flourish. Sometimes, we will use the excuse that I’m a good tree planted in a bad place but even that is no excuse because God says if we are humble and turn from our wicked ways and pray then he will hear from heaven and heal our land!

In order to stay rooted:

1. Stay prayed up

2. Humble yourself before the Lord. Pride comes before the fall.

3. Stay grounded. Serve in a ministry so you can stay in touch with real people.

4. Study to show yourself approved, rightly dividing the word of truth

5. Get in a local church and be active in the commmunity.

Dear God, Strengthen my roots and check my ego. If you find anything in me that s threatening my roots system take it out right now. Take away the yeast of pride, lust, greed or any kind of offense that may cause me to be uprooted or exposed. Today, help me to bear more fruit for you realizing that my fruit is not for my own consumption but it is to bless others that they might know that there is a God who sits high and looks low. Eventhough I am a dry tree in this hot recession, I know you are able to make a dry tree flourish and raise a low tree high. Father I’m rooted in you and I’m ready to Grow!

In Jesus Name,

Amen