August 16th Newsletter

I’m writing a few days early because of a full schedule the rest of the week, so here goes.

In the parable of the sower, the Lord Jesus spoke of people whose roots were not deep. He noted that “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy: and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in the time of temptation fall away” Luke 8:13. The Lord Jesus stressed that where the roots are not deep, a life lacks stability.

The prophet Jeremiah describes the opposite in the person who could face trial with fortitude. He notes that “…he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8. And Jeremiah takes us right to the source, saying; “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is” Jeremiah 17:7. The person with roots deep in divine soil can stand up when the climate is unfavorable!

We don’t want lives that are merely static, however, we want them to be dynamic. We need wings as well as roots. And God is the source of both. Consequently, the prophet Isaiah tells us that “….they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” Isaiah 40:31. So, if we are looking for equipment for life, God is the leading supplier. As we get our hands dirty in thesoil and hear the birds singing , it ought to remind us that we, ourselves need roots and wings.

Russ Nesbit