Chapter 12

Proverbs 12 (Cheryl)

In reading the 12th chapter of Proverbs, there was much to take in. The 3rd verse is the one that my heart kept going back to. "A man cannot be established through wickedness but the righteous cannot be uprooted." As I was reading the chapter, my eyes kept wandering to my front yard. There, standing tall, strong and firm, is a beautiful, large tree. That tree has given me much delight through all the seasons as I watch the changes come over it.

Like a tree, we all go through seasons in our lives and changes do occur. The thing that makes a huge difference when going through all the seasons are the roots.

Here are some facts on tree roots for you to ponder...

• The roots of a tree anchor the tree in soil and keep the tree straight and stable. The large roots provide the anchor while the small, temporary feeder roots and hair roots are the ones that absorb all the water and nutrients. The feeder roots and hair roots function for only one or two years and then they either die OR they connect themselves to the main root. Roots respond to environment changes such as soil depth, water supply and mineral supply. Our spiritual roots need to be anchored straight and stable as the trees. We need to keep the environment of our hearts healthy and pure so our roots respond to the changes correctly. Our feeder roots and hair roots need to absorb all the nutrients of God's Holy word; His breath and life should be our oxygen. When we do this, our feeder roots and hair roots will not die but connect to the main roots.

• Damage to the roots cause damage to tree branches. Sometimes roots become visible due to erosion of surface soil. It is important to keep our roots planted firm so as not to cause damage to our branches. We need to keep the soil saturated with the minerals, nutrients and water to keep our soil rich and thick so there is no erosion.

• The rate of root growth is variable; they begin to grow before the tree top does. A newly planted tree needs all the leaves it has to help support the growth of new roots. The rate of growth in a new Christian is variable and can depend on the support of stronger, seasoned Christians. It is imperative that we give of ourselves to each other. Jeremiah 17:8 says "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."

• If a tree has an 8 ft. branch crown, it would have a 24 ft. root spread in diameter. Our lives should be as the trees. The more we reach out and stretch our hands to our Father, the stronger and farther our roots will be. Therefore, it will be much harder and impossible to be destroyed by any storm that comes along.

In the Bible, it talks about the oak tree (Isaiah 61:1-3). It is one of two trees whose roots actually go deep and straight down from the very middle of the tree trunk. It was also considered one of the most valuable trees.

We need to fashion our lives around the oak tree. We need to keep our roots deep and straight from the middle of our Father's heart. That way, when storms come, and they will, we can stand firm without fear of destruction. We are rare and valuable to our God.

Proverbs 10:25 says "When a storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever."

If a dead, declining or fallen tree has roots encircling and compressing the stem, were those roots responsible for the damage?........................ My answer?............................. YES!

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it fall, does it make a sound? .................... Your answer?..............................?

Your roots are who you are! Saturate them with Jesus and they will be as the oak.