Root of the Matter

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love. . . and to know the love of Christ. . . that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17, 19)

Some plant and tree roots are invasive, strangling nearby plant life and damaging house foundations; those need to go. But Isaiah prophesied thousands of years ago that when the “tree” of Jesse died, a root of Jesse would spring up to reign over the Gentiles (including us), and they would trust Him (11:1, 10). Jesus is that root (Revelation 22:16). We cannot know or be rooted in Christ’s love until we grasp that God loves us—He is love. He loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to die on a cruel cross, a sinless sacrifice paying the price for humanity’s sins.

Christ lives in the hearts of people who, by faith, invite Him into their lives. Once rooted in Him, we find sustenance for everything needed to thrive as believers, to know God more. Though our finite minds cannot understand the greatness of Christ’s love, we believe by faith. Having yielded our lives to God, He fills us with Himself—all the attributes of God are available resources for us to live like Jesus.