"Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee" (Rom 11:18; KJV). The root bears us; a simple verse which we can read without even noticing.  So, what do we know about roots? We know that Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be the: "Root of Jesse" (Isa 11:10). In Revelations 22:16 Jesus himself said: "I am the root and the offspring of David".

With regard to roots in the natural world we understand that the roots supply a plant or tree with water and nourishment to cause it to grow, mature and bear fruit. The roots also support and give strength to the tree; they hold it steady during storms. Likewise, with us in our spiritual life. The apostle Paul taught us that we need to be "rooted and grounded in love." (Eph. 3:17). The tense of the verb rooted shows that this means an ongoing form of the verb; in other words, we should continually be rooted in love. In Colossians 2:7 we reed that we are to be: "rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith." If we are to be rooted and grounded in Jesus (who is love) then we need to spend time meditating on what the Bible teaches us about Jesus and love and spending time with him in prayer and fellowship. The more we do that the more we will mature and grow supported and nurtured by Jesus our root.

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