Rooted In Christ

Open Heavens Daily Devotion by Pastor E. A. Adeboye
Tuesday September 16

ROOTED IN CHRIST

Memorise:
Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Psalm 92:13

Read: Psalm 92:12-15

12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Message

The root is the most important part of a tree. The very life of every tree is in its roots. Also, the strength of every house is in its foundation. If something goes wrong with the foundation, the house will fall. The moment something happens to the root of any tree, it will show on the tree. This is a profound truth. Most of the time, it is the tree that we see and not its roots. That which is unseen is what supports what is seen. The part of a man that keeps him alive cannot be seen with the physical eyes. We cannot see God. However, if God leaves your life, there will be nothing left of you. The Bible in Romans 11:16 says,
“For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.”
This clearly shows that if the one who is your foundation is holy, then you will turn out holy. If the God you serve is a holy God, you will discover that your tendency will be towards holiness. When the root is bitter, the tree is going to be bitter. When somebody offends you and you do not forgive, your actions will show your bitterness; your words also will show your bitterness and it will be difficult for you to live a life of peace and holiness in accordance with Hebrews 12:14-15.

How can you have the grace and power of God? The secret is that your root should be love. This is enunciated in Ephesians 3:17-19:
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
When you embrace love, you will see the attributes of God in every area of your life. Many of us want the power of God. We want to be able to perform miracles. The question that God is asking is: are you willing to love? If you have power without love, you will destroy many people. If you have the abilities of God without the love of God, anybody who offends you is a dead person. For the power of Christ to manifest in you, you need to be rooted in Christ. Examine yourself and think of everything in you that was planted by the devil – bitterness, lack of forgiveness, hatred, sickness, disease, disappointments and fear. Ask God to uproot them all. The plan of God is that we being rooted in Him will prosper materially. He wants you to be in good health and He also wants your soul to prosper (3 John 2).

Action Point
Don’t seek for the power of God until you have the love of God.