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Roots
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Roots by Phil I love it when a familiar Bible verse jumps out and reveals something new. During our morning devotions, Pam and I have been going through the book of Ephesians, this time using the New Living Translation of the Bible. When we got to chapter three where Paul is praying for the church at Ephesus, I did a double take. I've always loved this prayer, but this version put a slight twist on verse 17 where I'm used to hearing about Christ dwelling in our hearts through faith and us being rooted and grounded in love. Check this out... "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." - Ephesians 3:17 NLT I love the way this rendering captures a bit more of the passion I believe Paul intended in his prayer. First off, you can dwell in a house, but that is not as intimate or personal as "making his home." Isn't that our desire for ourselves and others? That Jesus will not just be a tenant in our hearts, but to make His home there? Jesus doesn't just want to be a visiting stranger in our lives, He wants to be family. But the second part is what really stopped me in my tracks. Paul prays that our roots will grow down deep into God's love. If you dig into the original language, the words usually translated "rooted and grounded" are participles in the perfect tense, indicating a past action with continuing results. The picture of our roots growing continually deeper in God's love is a beautiful metaphor for our sanctification process. At salvation, our "roots" are grounded in Christ, but that is not the end of the action, only the beginning. As we daily grow and are conformed into the image of Jesus, our roots grow deeper and deeper into the love of God. God's love is infinite, so there is no point where our growing reaches an end. Just as the roots of a tree provide both nourishment and stability against the strongest storm winds, our growing deeper in God's love brings us both nourishment for our souls and strength when the winds of temptation and trial blow against us. In fact, the most difficult times are often when our roots will grow the deepest, if we turn to God and rely on Him. I can't think of a better way to leave you today than with Paul's prayer, maybe in a way you've not heard it before. "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources 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. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." - Ephesians 3:16-21 NLT Amen and Amen!
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Phil & Pam Morgan
We're authors and musicians who loves to talk about faith & spirituality, arts & crafts, and music. Subscribe and join over 2,000+ newsletter readers every week!
The List by Phil Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the "Hall of Faith," where the writer lists a number of historical figures whose lives showed examples of faith in God. Hebrews 12 refers to those named and many others when it says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and...
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