FROM ROOTS TO FRUITS 1

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5

REFERENCE
John 15:1-5

One characteristic of life is that ‘all living things grow and develop.’ God planted you in this world because He desires you to grow and be fruitful. However, as a Christian, growth and fruitfulness only comes when you are deeply rooted in Christ, as seen from the previous topics. In-between roots and fruits is the phenomenon called ‘growth.’ After a while, what you are doing underground should begin to show above the ground. If roots don’t lead to the growth of a tree, they are useless. Likewise, growth that does not culminate in fruits calls for concern.

Nevertheless, when your affections are set on the things above and your roots go deep into Jesus Christ the vine, you will not only grow, but you will experience many benefits which include:

Productivity – Fruitfulness is a natural consequence of being firmly rooted in the right soil. Like a tree planted by the waters, whose leaves are ever green, bears its fruits in season and never bothers about dry season, you shall also experience all-round fruitfulness regardless of the season of life you are in or what the prevailing social or economic conditions are. (Jeremiah 17:8)

Stability – You become immovable by the devil or situations. Just like the ‘Iroko’ tree (a large hardwood tree from tropical West Africa) that remains standing in the fiercest of storms. You cannot be moved by the storms of life because you are ‘planted’ on the Solid Rock. Also, you won’t be blown away by every wind of doctrine, or be given to mood swings because you are grounded in your Source (I Corinthians 15:58)

Recoverability – you have the ability to bounce back from trials. People say, “You can’t keep a good man down.” I say, “You can’t keep a rooted man down.” Naturally, as long as the roots of a tree are in the ground where there is water, there is hope for its recovery no matter what happens to that tree. In the same vein, no matter what you go through in life, in just a matter of time, you will bounce back and be restored, because your roots go down to the ‘Living Waters’ which can never run dry. The depth of your roots increases your rate of recovery (Job 14:7-9, John 4:10).

SCRIPTURE PHOTO

ADDITIONAL STUDY
Daniel 4:10-15, Ecclesiastes 9:4 (ESV), & Colossians 3:1-4

CONFESSION
I am firmly rooted in Christ the solid Rock; therefore, I am productive all-year round regardless of circumstances. I am immovable like the Iroko tree even in the fiercest storm; and within me is the ability to bounce back to full recovery in spite of the trials I face in life. No one can keep a rooted man down; so I boldly declare, “Nobody and nothing can keep me down in Jesus’ name. Amen!