Roots and Shoots

by Beth Messman

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness  (Colossians 2:6-7).

A farmer has acres of fields to plant. Farmers have equipment to help with the planting. A tractor saves farmers time and labor. There are special tools to pull behind the tractor, like the grain drill and the planter. Before a farmer plants the seeds, he must first remove large rocks from the fields. There is no special equipment for this job. The farmer uses his hands to pick up the heavy rocks, and tosses them onto a wagon. Picking rocks is a long and hot chore. The farmer knows that rocks in his fields could cause his equipment to break and prevent seeds from falling into good soil.

The Sower by Van Gogh

Farmers in Jesus’ day didn’t have tractors. A farmer would walk up and down the fields with a sack of seeds on his arm and toss the seeds onto the ground. Sometimes the seeds fell on dirt paths and were trampled by people or picked up by hungry birds. Seeds that fell on rocks didn’t last long, because their roots couldn’t get down to good soil. When seeds did land on good ground, they started to grow. But, sometimes weeds crowded them out. Farmers in Jesus’ day were glad when their seeds made it into the good soil and grew strong and sturdy shoots.

Jesus told a story about a farmer planting his seeds (cf. Matthew 13). This kind of story is called a parable. In a parable, Jesus tells an earthly story in order to explain a heavenly meaning. Some people who heard the parable about the farmer planting his seeds did not understand what it meant. Jesus told the meaning so that we would understand how our hearts can be.

Some people hear God’s Word but reject it. They are like the seeds that fell on worn paths, gobbled up by hungry birds. Those seeds had no time to put down any roots. People who don’t take any time for God miss out on hearing about their Savior, Jesus.

Other people hear God’s Word and believe his promises, for a while. When life goes well for them, they see the blessings God gives them. But when life gets hard and the walk of faith seems too difficult, they fall away from God. They are like the seeds that fell on rocks. Those seeds sent out roots, which took in nourishment, but only for a little time, because the roots could not reach the good soil below the rocks. Even people who have been baptized, who have received the gift of faith through the Holy Spirit, can lose their faith if they don’t continue to take in the nourishment of God’s Word.

Some people hear God’s Word, believe that Jesus is their Savior from sin, and grow in their faith. But, when problems creep into their hearts, threatening to choke out their faith, they forget about Jesus. They forget that he is the answer to all of their worries and troubles and start to search for their own solutions. Those people are like the seeds that fell among the weeds in the fields. The weeds crowded out the good plants, not letting them get the nourishment, water, and sunlight they needed to grow strong.

There are also some people who cling to the promises they’ve learned from God’s Word. They know that temptations, doubts, fears, worries, troubles, and all kinds of sins will surround them. These “weeds” threaten to choke out the hope they have in their Savior. So, these believers study God’s Word even more. Because of God’s amazing love, these people grow strong in their faith. They are like the seeds that fell on good ground, pushing their roots deep into the soil to receive all of the benefits of the nutrients and water.

Roots anchor plants to the ground. They keep the plant from getting pulled out by strong winds, or pushed away by swift moving rainwater.  Roots store food for the plant to use when it can’t get sunshine or water. And when the time comes to pick the crops, those roots can also provide nourishment for people and animals.

Just like the plants in Jesus’ parable, we will always have troubles and temptations in our lives. When we are anchored in God’s Word, Jesus holds us up, nourishes our faith with his promises, and provides opportunities for us to “feed” others when we share the promises found in God’s Word.

Jesus knows farming. And Jesus knows us. He wants us to be deeply rooted in God’s Word. Jesus wants us to thrive. Jesus wants us to continue to live our lives in him, rooted and built up in him.

Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for nourishing us through your Word. Keep us rooted in your promises. Help us to grow stronger in our faith. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Beth wrote this devotion in connection with a course on
 Devotional Writing offered through MLC Continuing Education.