ROOTED AND GROUNDED

“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 Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ”- EPHESIANS 3:17-18

Iam not a gardener, but I have often wished I was. I love the idea of growing things, digging in the dirt, planting seeds and watching them flourish. I want to look at flowers and vegetables with pride, knowing that I played a part in their growth and existence. However, my track record speaks volumes. When I was a teen, I decided to pull weeds and water the plants in front of our house. I watered faithfully and investigated. Little to my knowledge, I had been watering a wild onion! Furthermore, I cared for the philodendron I inherited from my grandmother for about a year until I, regrettably, forgot about it and gave up.

No, I don’t have a green thumb. Nonetheless, this year, I felt the urge to try again. My plan was to grow some yellow squash. I mentioned this to my dad and he kindly reminded me that I have my grandparents’ memorial garden to think about first. I have been doing my best in the past few weeks to give this little piece of ground love and care. The squash seeds will have to wait.

I am glad that when it comes to growing in the Lord, he helps me tend to the garden of my heart. I prayerfully take in the sunshine of his word and the nourishing rain of his voice. He lovingly nurtures my soul and helps me relate with myself and others in a way that brings forth fruit.

I recently learned that the boxwoods in my grandparents’ memorial garden have contracted a fungus. As I care for them, I hope and pray that their roots are healthy and I will not have to uproot and start over. I pray that also for my own life, that every day, I will be rooted and grounded in the truth of God’s word despite worldly distractions. Let us live to be deeply rooted in God’s love, so that no matter what comes our way, our hearts’ garden will stand strong.

Dear Father, thank you for things that grow. They remind us of your growth in and through us. As we care for our gardens and house plants this spring, or simply wish we could, help us to seek you to feed and water our own souls. Root and ground us in your love. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Throughout this day: Do you have a gardening project this year? How can it remind you to be rooted in Christ’s love?

How to Respond Well

Wise people take the time to verify information before choosing a course of action.

2 Samuel 10:1-8

Hanun, the king of the Ammonites, reacted to misinformation. His father had just died, so King David sent some servants to offer condolences. But Hanun’s commanders convinced him that the visitors were spies coming to scope out his land. Without checking whether the accusation was true, he abused and mocked David’s servants, which led to a war.

We’ve likely done something similar (though, thankfully, it didn’t lead to battle). Maybe we reacted to a rumor before confirming the information. Or perhaps we failed to ask clarifying questions. And at one point or another, most of us have responded too quickly to a situation—striking back, like a frightened animal, before taking time to consider the godly response. And our reaction probably caused hurt feelings or embarrassment.

Yet wisdom instructs us to respond differently. There are countless passages of Scripture discussing the value of wisdom and how to acquire it from God. Spend some time this week looking up a few. Take notes on the ones that resonate most and see if you can find any common themes. Then ask God to teach you how to respond to others more slowly, with grace and wisdom (James 1:19-20).

Brokenness of Heart

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

Psalm 51:14

In this solemn confession, it is helpful to observe that David plainly names his sin. He does not call it manslaughter or speak of it as an imprudence by which an unfortunate accident occurred to a worthy man, but he calls it by its true name, “bloodguiltiness.” He did not actually kill the husband of Bathsheba; but still it was planned in David’s heart that Uriah should die, and David was before the Lord responsible for his murder. Learn in confession to be honest with God. Do not give fair names to foul sins; call them what you will, they will smell no sweeter. What God sees them to be, that you should work to feel them to be; and with an honest, open heart acknowledge their real character. Observe that David was evidently oppressed with the heinousness of his sin. It is easy to use words, but it is difficult to feel their meaning. The fifty-first Psalm is the photograph of a contrite spirit. Let us seek to display the same brokenness of heart; because no matter how excellent our words may be, if our heart is not conscious of the hell-deservingness of sin, we cannot expect to find forgiveness.

Our text has in it an earnest prayer—it is addressed to the God of salvation. It is His prerogative to forgive; it is His very name and office to save those who seek His face. Better still, the text calls Him the God of my salvation. We bless His name, in that while we are still going to Him through Jesus’ blood, we may rejoice in the God of our salvation.

The psalmist ends with a commendable vow: If God will deliver him he will sing—actually, he will “sing aloud.” Who can mute their praise in light of such a mercy as this! But note the subject of the song —”your righteousness.” We must sing of the finished work of a precious Savior; and the one who knows this forgiving love the best will sing the loudest of us all.