I am Rooted

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root·ed, root·ing, root

1.To become firmly established, settled, or entrenched.

2. To cause to put out roots and grow.

3. To furnish a primary source or origin to.

 

Roots are often underground, unseen by the world. Until you try to dig up a plant, you run into a mess of roots. This is how we should be with God. We need to be firmly rooted in him so that when the storms of life come, we do not budge. We are confident and secure because we know where our hope, strength, and support comes from.

"The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 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. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful." Matthew 13:20-22

Today at church, the pastor started a series called Fake IDs. He talked about our culture and our dog-chasing-tail habit of trying to find ourselves. He brought this idea back to the Garden of Eden and how we were origionally tempted as humans. God tells us he made us in his likeness (Gen 1:26), but when the serpant tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, he tricks them by telling Eve she can be like God (Gen 3:1-4). This is interesting because Satan(the serpant) is trying to make us doubt what God already told us. This still happens today!

 He continued and talked about how much God loves for His children to find their identity in Him. He said, "when God brings identity into us, it reshapes us to give us purpose and strength." He went on to tell a story of a young man he was counseling who struggled with pornagraphy and lust. One day, the young man said that God was going to have to keep forgiving him because he couldn't stop his addiction, he was a pervert. The pastor had a pausing moment and realized that this young man truely believed he was too far from the power of the cross.

He asked us,  "if you were to remove all stressors, circumstances, outside stuff in your life, would you be a sinner or a saint?" Think about that question. I origionally thought sinner. He said 97% of us respond the same way. As Christians, we can be humble with being self-depricating. This is key. I always struggled with how to be humble without putting myself down. I still wonder this, but I feel like things are starting to fall into place and I'm starting to understand.

"Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his." Romans 6:3-5

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:" 2 Corinthians 5:16-18

God says we are:



SECURE    LOVED    ACCEPTED

ADOPTED    CHOSEN    SOUGHT AFTER

REDEEMED    RESTORED    FORGIVEN

PURE    NEW    SAFE

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...and God says so much more about us and His love for us in His wonderful, wonderful Word.