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Rooted, Grounded and Growing!

by Susan Gurney  
5/08/2013 / Devotionals

Read Ephesians 3:16-19; Psalm 1:1-6; and Jeremiah 17:7-8

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love... might be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17, 19b. (KJV)

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Psalm 1:3 (KJV)


One year the warm days of January brought the daffodil shoots early to the moist earth next to the small creek in my back yard. The daffodil plants grew swiftly, and even began to bud, prompting me to think, "Don't they know it's still the dead of winter!?! What will become of them if it snows, or freezes, or the creek floods?"

As I feared, a mid-February snow storm buried the plants in an icy shroud six inches thick--then several days of heavy rains turned the quiet creek into a torrent, covering the daffodils with raging waters that threatened to uproot them. Did the plants survive? Yes!! By March the cluster of daffodil plants by the creek were tall, straight, sturdy--and bursting with joyous yellow blooms!

Why did these seemingly fragile plants survive? Probably because their bulbs were planted deep, and packed into the earth well. They were also well watered by the creek, and well fertilized by the nutrients dumped on them by the muddy flood waters. You could even say the daffodils were well "loved" by God.

"Loved by God!" you may exclaim. "If He loved them so much, why didn't He protect them from the snow, and the ice, and the floods! Why didn't He isolate them completely from potential harm!?!"

Ah, but that is not God's way, is it? He allows difficulties to come into the lives of those who love and serve Him--to those He loves dearly. Why? So that they may be prompted to draw ever closer to Him--to come to know Him even better, to serve Him even more obediently, and to bear the abundant crop of the fruit of the Spirit that He desires all Christians to bear!

Susan Gurney writes devotionals, poetry, short stories, memoirs, and nonfiction on family history, faith and nature. She has experience writing/editing church and family newsletters. Find Susan at http://ssimonsgurney.christianblogsites.com/blog/ Copyright 2013 Susan Simons Gurney

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