LET YOUR ROOTS GROW DEEP

Since they have no root, they last only a short time. — Mark 4:17

Jesus tells us that some people receive the Word with joy, but when trouble comes, they quickly fall away. Their problem wasn't the seed; their problem was that they never developed deep roots. It's easy to get excited about God when everything is going well, but faith is tested when life becomes difficult.

Trouble doesn't necessarily mean God has abandoned you; sometimes trouble reveals how deeply your faith has been planted. Jesus never promised that we would avoid trouble, but He promised that He has overcome the world.

Deep roots are developed through prayer, Scripture, worship, obedience, and consistently staying close to Jesus. You don't wait until the storm arrives to start growing roots. You grow them now, in the ordinary moments when nobody else sees what you're doing.

Action:

• Establish one daily habit that will deepen your relationship with Jesus, even if it is only fifteen minutes of prayer and Bible reading.

• When trouble comes this week, refuse to let your circumstances determine your faith and remind yourself of God's faithfulness.

Prayer: Lord, take me deeper than an emotional experience or a temporary feeling. Help me build roots that will hold me steady when the storms of life come. Amen.