I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. –Ephesians 3:16-18
There are a great many trees that line the woods behind the church parsonage where we have called home for the last 14 years. A few of these massive trees have given way to high winds and one was struck by lightening, but in each case they fell away from the house – fortunately for us! One tree, however, a 30 feet or so tall pine, has leaned threateningly toward the backyard for several years. After the last big snow I noticed that the branches of the old pine leaned heavily toward the ground. The tree appeared to be groaning under the weight of that new fallen snow. I had a feeling that it wouldn’t last much longer.
A day or two later I returned home one afternoon to discover that a large portion of the tree had given way and had fallen from the weight of the snow. It landed on the back fence, but amazingly did not do any serious damage. And fortunately, the doghouse and the carport were spared as well. The problem was too much weight, too much pressure, and not enough support for the old tree to remain standing. As I pondered that, however, I can’t help but think that perhaps the cause was a problem no one could see. There are trees all across the woods behind the house which bore equal and greater amounts of weight, but they remained firmly planted. I think that the old pine just didn’t have a strong enough root structure to withstand the pressure. As a result she came crashing down.
The Word of God admonishes us as followers of Christ to be rooted and established in love: The love of Christ, love for one another, and love for everyone around us. From this love we grow roots that reach deep, thus empowering us to stand firmly in Christ when the storms and trials of life begin to weigh us down. Perhaps you have felt yourself leaning under the weight of discouragement, fear, doubt, and problems. In Christ you have been rooted and established. The root system becomes stronger as we grow in the love of the Lord. The most powerful aspect of who we are in Christ is that root system no one ever sees – just like those trees that are still standing through all those fierce winter storms.
Trust in the Lord, no matter what. Love the Lord and let His love empower us to grow stronger in the faith. Through Christ we reach deeper into our relationship with Him. By His grace and power we will stand.
Come what may, we will stand when we are rooted in the love of Christ. 