April 28

Moments with God, April 28

Matthew 13:3, 5-6, 20-21 (NV) 3 Then [Jesus] told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Psalm 1:3 (NIV) 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

We have enlarged our garden from last year, which means tilling new ground. Once again, we encountered roots that are a long way from the nearest tree. When I find a root, I try to pull it up. This works only some of the time because the roots are long and tough. Each root sends out smaller roots that go deep and refuse to be uprooted. Cutting them does not affect the tree because the roots are many and deep. I encountered one root that resisted every attempt to remove it. I would pull on it only to find that it would not break. It had numerous small roots that would not yield. As I struggled with it, I thought to myself, “Those are the roots I should have.”

The Word tells us that, by observing nature, we can learn about God, His power, His nature, and His truth (Romans 1:20). For me, I have found this to be very true. As I struggled with that root, the Lord showed me that our enemy tries to do the same with us. He struggles to pull up our roots so that we will not be able to withstand the persecution of the world. I immediately thought of the parable of the soils. When we hear the word and are thankful that it has become part of our lives but do not seek to take that word into our hearts, our roots will be shallow. Many years ago, a young couple began worshipping with us. They were very enthusiastic; however, after a few months, they said they were leaving. Since joining the church, they had experienced more trials than ever before and did not want any more of that. To put down strong, deep roots, we need to be intentional about our walk with Jesus. Putting all of His Word into practice enables us to develop such roots such that no one can uproot us.