Hey.
Going straight into things.
Let’s talk about plants for a second. Saw this online.
Plants.
Amazing things. So useful. But also, dependent.
Dependent?
Plants need strong, healthy root systems to thrive. Now those with weak or damaged roots can still grow, but they won’t be able to reach their full potential or withstand pressures as effectively. But fortunately for the plants, If they don’t have the greatest roots, it’s not all over for them. See plants can be treated and the roots encouraged to grow stronger. And some plants really do need treatment.
How come?
Some plants suffer from root rot. And untreated, it can have serious ramifications. However, once the problem has been identified, the roots can be washed clean, the bad parts can be cut away, and the plant can be repotted in fresh soil.
Okay.
So you’ve had your fun.
But what does this have to do with any of us?
Well, sometimes we need to do the same. Before we carry on, let’s open to Ephesians 3:16-19 which says…
“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.”
Back to the plants.
Again!
Trust me here.
Okay.
They say flawed roots produce flawed fruit.
Flawed roots produce flawed fruit.
What do you think they may mean by flawed fruits?
I guess it’s like feelings of inferiority, worthlessness, anger, erm. An inability to trust, or maybe fear of intimacy.
That kind of stuff.
Okay.
Okay.
Can you speak more on that?
If our root system contains things like rejection, past mistakes, and painful experiences, well… that can have a long term effect on our ability to grow and produce fruits.
So what do we need to do?
We need to bring them out into the open and treat them.
And we can do that with God’s help.
Ephesians 3:16-17
NLT says,
‘He will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong’.
It’s that assurance.
What do you mean?
The assurance of God’s love can bring healing to our emotions. We no longer have to draw our security and self-worth from how others treat us or from our background. We can move on. We can grow.
Yes!
But it’s a process. Hmm. Yeah. It’s a process. It may not happen immediately.
It’s a process.
There’s thing which may need to be in place. Or things we may require, in order to form these roots.
They say strong roots require three things.
What are they?
-
Time to grow.
Becoming confident in our identity as God’s child is like breaking in new shoes. We have to walk in them until they become comfortable.
-
Protection from things that can be harmful.
We need to surround ourselves with people who build us up instead of tearing us down; people ‘who share the same precious faith’
-
Spiritual nourishment.
We need to pray and feed ourselves regularly from God’s Word
Okay.
Perfect.
Anything else before we wrap up?
Actually.
Did you read that piece on love from the other day?
Oh the one that is like,
“Love is the soil in which our life must have its roots; and it is the rock upon which our faith must ever rest.”
Actually that’s not what I was talking about.
Ohhh.
The other thing.
Yeah.
Sorry I forgot.
Okay so can you touch on that.
Actually, let’s do that in the next part.
Cool.
So.
For more content like this, check out astudentoftheword.com
My Sunday Skl 
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