Thoughts on being rooted in the unplowed ground of today!


Yesterday afternoon I was speaking with one of my teens from the summer. She was discussing with me her aggravation with finances and the possibility of missing the winter and summer retreat due to finances. As we dove into her aggravations and why she was feeling it was clear to me that she was missing the point completely. The essential point of "walking with the Lord daily." She claims that she needs retreats to keep her walking going. I agreed with her that we as Christians need to be edified by the local church and others (including retreats). However, I disagreed that she needs a retreat alone to thrive in the word of God. She has missed that Christ is to be followed daily. That reading daily, praying daily, and consistent service and participation in the local church will too edify her and spur her on in her walk.

Eph 3:17-19 says:
17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Minus the secured roots in the word of God, service, and prayer we are neglecting ourselves of Gods love that surpasses all understanding. In the words of John Piper: we need to drink it up, savor the word, and depend on it daily, trusting in the promises that have been made to us.

This conversation made me think of all of you, post retreat.

For those of you like myself who arrived at home and with in an hour began to miss the accountability of others and consistent reflection on the word of God. please know that your retreat has not ended but is still in action.

Psalms 1:1-3 says 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

And Jeremiah 17:7-8 says:7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Delight, mediate, be rooted, and trust in the word of God!

My prayer for all of you, including myself is that we are men and women of the Lord, that will root our existence upon the word of God, trusting God who has started a good work in all of you to bring it to completion. I pray that we will continue to retreat in the Lord and trust God that he will do immeasurable works in us. An example of a man who was rooted and trusted read Acts 6 (Story of Steven).

Praying for you all, Joyfully!
Sarah