…being rooted and grounded in love…

                                                Ephesians 3:17b

In the Christian life, love is everything. This week we will be taking a biblical look at love and why the Bible describes love as an imperative for those who follow Jesus. The strength of a tree is not in its branches rather its stability comes from its root system. The deeper and thicker the roots; the greater capacity the tree has for withstanding anything that might come against it. Likewise, the more that a Christian experiences the love of God in his/her life, the more likely that individual will be equipped to love others, overcoming the obstacles that a loveless attitude so often brings. Today’s passage describes a life that draws its strength from love found within. These two words, rooted and grounded, convey the idea of stability and strength. To be rooted or grounded means to be firm or fixed in place. It is to be established so that one cannot be shaken. This is what love does for the believer in Jesus. Understanding that the first quality listed as a fruit of the Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22), it should not be a surprise that the prayer we are studying begins with asking God for strength in the inner man through His Spirit and then describing this stability (rooting and grounding) as coming from love. Love is a stabilizing force. Without it, you can have religion, but you cannot have Christian authenticity. Jesus reminds us that our love is to be different from the way the world loves. It’s not difficult to love those who love us in return (family, friends, etc), but the believer’s capacity to love reaches far beyond those relationships into the lives of those who are demanding and difficult (Matthew 5:46-47). For the Christian, love really is everything. Pray and ask God to fill you with His love so that you can love others, allowing Him to equip you to effectively represent Christ to a lost and dying world.