If there is one thing that will grow in a drought, it’s a weed.”
–John Hansen (The Outfit)
“He lops off every branch that doesn’t produce. And he prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops.”
–John 15:2 (TLB)
———————————-
We must not throw all the words of Job’s companions away for there is some truth in what they say. Bildad chides Job but he does say one thing that we should ponder, “Their roots will dry up, and their branches will wither.” (Job 18:16, NLT) The HCSB translates it this way, “His roots below dry up, and his branches above wither away.” Here’s my question for you this morning: How lively and fruitful are your spiritual branches?
In our approach to Bildad and his critical assumptions regarding Job he does bring forth an important truth. One of the terrible effects of sin is a dry, dehydrated spiritual root system. Are we thirsty enough for that living water? Do we drink from the fountains that will never go dry? Far too many Christians live in an arid condition spiritually. “Their spiritual roots are dry. They are suffering from internal drought. There is little or no growth or fruitfulness in their lives.” (Dale A. O’Shields) We have the Fruit of the Spirit but so often it is not nourished enough to grow.
A person gets born-again, but that’s it. They often are not nourished properly and more often than not, for one reason or another, they are not discipled properly. The root system is weak, therefore, the fruit yield is less and what is there will wither. These people are normally easy to spot. First, the fruit of the Spirit is not evident in their lives. These individuals have lost their peace and joy; they’re the ones with cynical or critical attitudes. Those in this condition are dangerously on the edge; “this spiritual dryness becomes a serious threat to their spiritual well being.”
A second question: how healthy is our root system? To maintain a healthy spiritual root system we must continue to grow in a healthy fellowship with the Lord. “If we fail to hydrate these roots regularly and properly, we eventually suffer the consequences–we begin to wither and die. Fruitlessness externally is the result of spiritual root problems–dryness and death internally.” (O’Shields)
Since the root system is out of sight, it often is out of mind. We have to take time to deal properly with the roots. “Dry roots result in a weak structure–a tree that is vulnerable to destructive, adverse forces and ravaging insects and diseases.” (O’Shields) The pests, the imps of the devil become a hazard. Have you ever been through a forest of tall pines, once seemingly indestructible, but now dead due to the hidden pine beetle? Once strong, sturdy, but the pest came in and destroyed the tree. Or those tall trees that look firm have dried out roots and when the storm blows the tree falls due to the dried up root system.
We are to be firmly planted. We are to make sure our “root system” is properly watered. We are to be “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3, NKJV) We are to be productive for the kingdom, therefore we must have the proper nutrients flowing up through the roots. We must have a time with God every day, in fact, the more we meet with Him the stronger our root system will be. “As we recognize our need for spiritual hydration, we must make the commitment to cultivate a regular pattern of exposing ourselves to the life-giving, refreshing and renewing presence of God.” (O’Shields)
“Drinking at the springs of living water,
Happy now am I,
My soul they satisfy;
Drinking at the springs of living water,
O wonderful and bountiful supply.”
–John W. Peterson
“He lops off every branch that doesn’t produce. And he prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops.”
–John 15:2 (TLB)
———————————-
We must not throw all the words of Job’s companions away for there is some truth in what they say. Bildad chides Job but he does say one thing that we should ponder, “Their roots will dry up, and their branches will wither.” (Job 18:16, NLT) The HCSB translates it this way, “His roots below dry up, and his branches above wither away.” Here’s my question for you this morning: How lively and fruitful are your spiritual branches?
In our approach to Bildad and his critical assumptions regarding Job he does bring forth an important truth. One of the terrible effects of sin is a dry, dehydrated spiritual root system. Are we thirsty enough for that living water? Do we drink from the fountains that will never go dry? Far too many Christians live in an arid condition spiritually. “Their spiritual roots are dry. They are suffering from internal drought. There is little or no growth or fruitfulness in their lives.” (Dale A. O’Shields) We have the Fruit of the Spirit but so often it is not nourished enough to grow.
A person gets born-again, but that’s it. They often are not nourished properly and more often than not, for one reason or another, they are not discipled properly. The root system is weak, therefore, the fruit yield is less and what is there will wither. These people are normally easy to spot. First, the fruit of the Spirit is not evident in their lives. These individuals have lost their peace and joy; they’re the ones with cynical or critical attitudes. Those in this condition are dangerously on the edge; “this spiritual dryness becomes a serious threat to their spiritual well being.”
A second question: how healthy is our root system? To maintain a healthy spiritual root system we must continue to grow in a healthy fellowship with the Lord. “If we fail to hydrate these roots regularly and properly, we eventually suffer the consequences–we begin to wither and die. Fruitlessness externally is the result of spiritual root problems–dryness and death internally.” (O’Shields)
Since the root system is out of sight, it often is out of mind. We have to take time to deal properly with the roots. “Dry roots result in a weak structure–a tree that is vulnerable to destructive, adverse forces and ravaging insects and diseases.” (O’Shields) The pests, the imps of the devil become a hazard. Have you ever been through a forest of tall pines, once seemingly indestructible, but now dead due to the hidden pine beetle? Once strong, sturdy, but the pest came in and destroyed the tree. Or those tall trees that look firm have dried out roots and when the storm blows the tree falls due to the dried up root system.
We are to be firmly planted. We are to make sure our “root system” is properly watered. We are to be “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3, NKJV) We are to be productive for the kingdom, therefore we must have the proper nutrients flowing up through the roots. We must have a time with God every day, in fact, the more we meet with Him the stronger our root system will be. “As we recognize our need for spiritual hydration, we must make the commitment to cultivate a regular pattern of exposing ourselves to the life-giving, refreshing and renewing presence of God.” (O’Shields)
“Drinking at the springs of living water,
Happy now am I,
My soul they satisfy;
Drinking at the springs of living water,
O wonderful and bountiful supply.”
–John W. Peterson