I feel drawn to our garden area. Every morning especially. It’s cool out, the birds are chirping, it’s quiet, refreshing. There’s new life. I feel so much excitement when I see a new plant sprouting out of the dirt. Knowing I had a hand in creating it by putting that tiny seed in the ground.
If I feel this way over a tiny seed I’ve placed in the ground, a new plant sprouting up, how much more does God feel that for us? It’s hard to grasp that my God, my savior, rejoices so much more when I choose to follow him. As a Christian whose struggled to follow Him over the years, this really grasps my heart.
I’ll admit sometimes I’m pouring my whole life into Jesus Christ and when I do my life is so much better. I’m not saying easier, but it’s better. However there are times I struggle with letting Him be first I feel like I’m drowning in responsibilities, I feel anger and resentment towards the ones I love, towards my roles in this life. I feel confused as to what God has for me and why He would have me to do. It’s not easy to admit this as Christians, we want to seem like we always have it all together, that we always lean into him, everything’s perfect. We need more Christians that admit when they’re struggling. Those that can say the road’s not always easy. Our human nature interferes in so many ways with our walk with Christ. We need those to show us how they got through, how they pressed in and how they came through to continue serving Him.
The peace I feel sitting in this garden and watching the new life emerge is helping me to understand the areas I need to let go and let God truly have. It’s allowing me to see that He rejoices over me even in my faults. That he loves me no matter what. I just got this garden going and I already love it. Even places I don’t see plants sprouting up, I’m excited and anticipating what will happen. As God does with us. He’s anticipating our growth. He’s excited for it.
However just like these plants need water and sunshine to grow. We need the Word and prayer. When Satan came to tempt Jesus with bread in the wilderness ‘Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
If we expect to hear God, if we expect to grow with Him as these plants are growing in my garden, we have to spend time with Him. And it has to be more than rushing through the Bible app on your phone, the little devotional book you have, it has to go deeper. If a plants roots do not go down deep enough it does not have the soil it needs and it can’t grow. If we want to hear Christ and truly grow with him we have to make him our priority.
In Matthew 13 Jesus tells in the parable of the scattered seed. The seed scattered on the footpath was quickly ate up by the birds, so if we’re just out there as Christians not putting any time or effort into him we’re going to be ate up by this world. We’re going to be overtaken and consumed by the things of this world.
The next seeds fell into shallow soil and they sprouted up quickly and they were doing amazing but because their roots could not go down deep they quickly faded out. If we don’t have those deep roots, if we’re on fire for him after we get saved or when we recommit our lives but we do not let our roots go down deep through prayer, worship, and the word, we will wither up.
The next set of seed fell among the thorns and they were choked out. I think of this as the people who receive Christ but don’t step away from the life that they’re living. They stay right in among all that they’ve continued to do or go back to it. Our roots can’t grow we can’t get the sunlight we need. We have to pour in to God and find a body of believers that we can be a part of.
Finally we have the last seed. The seed that fell upon the fertile soil. The seed that produced crops 30, 60, to 100 fold. I don’t know about you but this is where I want to be. I want to be where my roots are going deep. To be a part of a church that that helps me grow with Christ, not a church that tickles my ears and makes me feel good, but a church that pushes me to want to know more. A church that tells me the truth about who I am and then helps me get into the Word and know how to grow in him.
I want to be at the place where I make him a priority. Whether that is forsaking the morning snooze button or right before bed, maybe both. To get to the place where I pray continually all day. It’s praying when something or someone comes to my mind. Not having to wait for that special time but it’s being in a conversation with Him all day.
It’s opening up His word, asking for him to teach me. Pouring into that and learning and growing. It’s worshiping him. It’s singing songs of praise. It’s being outside in my garden and saying thank you. It’s bowing my head and truly meaning the prayer and praying over the food he’s blessed me with. It’s helping my neighbor. It’s loving others.
If we, as Christians, want to quit being those Christians that fall away all the time, we have to start where we are and we have to make a change. It’s okay to admit that you’re struggling right now. It’s okay to admit that maybe you’ve not been giving your life to Him. It’s okay to admit that you backtrack a lot. We need to admit that, so that we can then ask for prayer, ask for help and then step up.
So today, let your roots go down deep make time for him. Shut off the things that are noisy to you so you can hear his voice. And as you do this your roots will be able to go down deeper.
Dear brothers and sisters this world needs Christians who are on fire for him, whose roots go down deep. Let’s do as Colossians 2: 7 says,
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
There’s our call, our answer! Let’s allow our roots to go deeper. Let’s pray for one another.
With love
Alissa Marie
Uponmyheart 
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