Consider a seed. It sends a shoot
down into the earth in order to be grounded and draw nourishment. At the same
time another tender shoot grows upward into the world. Without a strong root
system the plant that the world sees would not withstand the storms of life.
That plant may appear beautiful or ugly in the eyes of the world, but to God
His creation is a thing of infinite beauty.
So are our lives in Christ. Without
a deep, abiding, and grounded faith our lives wither and fade. Our attempts at
living for Him are wiped away by the harsh circumstances of life. The life that
appears beautiful or ugly to the world might not be that way at all. God does
not judge the outer man the world sees. He looks upon the inner. He looks upon
the heart. He looks upon the root to see if our faith is grounded in Him. He
knows that is where our true beauty lies.
“He grew up before him like a
tender shoot,” Isaiah wrote of the coming Christ, “and like a root out of dry
ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his
appearance that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2 NIV). Jesus came into the
world as a child and grew as a tender shoot—like a root out of dry ground. He
grew in His Father’s care. No matter how dry His circumstance or how lonely His
walk, He drew sustenance from His Father. That tender shoot matured and became
strong. He flourished in His desert. His root was grounded deeply. He had no
beauty to attract others to Him, yet He drew many because God made Him
beautiful in sacrificial depths that the world could not see. And God knows
whether we have that deep inner beauty of abiding faith or not.
Let your roots grow deep in Him. Be
nourished by His word, and pray for His guidance. If you want to grow strong
with His purpose, your roots of faith must extend deep enough to withstand the
winds of circumstance that will disrupt your life. When you are grounded in Him
and His will, no weapon formed against you will succeed. When He is your life,
your heart, and your purpose, your roots hold strongly. Be planted deeply, and
your life will grow strong, secure, and beautiful in Him.
© 2017 Lynn Lacher
Thank you Lynn.
ReplyDeleteYour short synopsis gave Betty and me even more assurance of His Love for us. We've had many storms in our lives. The passing of two daughters at a young age. Betty's overcoming in her battle with lung cancer. We count it all joy as God works His healing in Betty, in His time. So that only He gets all the glory.
In Christ,
Charlie and Betty Mock
Alvin, Texas
I'm sorry I didn't see your comment until now. I'm thankful if this devotional helped you. Your loss of your daughters is overwhelming, but His love overwhelms our storms. And your wife overcoming cancer is truly His gift... just as He has done for me. Sometimes your journey doesn't make sense to your mind and heart, but when we are rooted in Him, we learn we have strengths we never knew. God bless you, and thanks for commenting.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete