Rooted and Grounded

 Eph 3:17
 that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. 

Like a tree planted close to the river banks, our spiritual roots go deep into the ground of God’s love. Because Christ lives in our hearts, His abiding presence is what allows us to live a life that is surrounded by His love and grace. The dwelling presence of Christ is not made possible by adhering to church sacraments, or intellectually agreeing with the teaching and doctrine of the church. The church plays a vital role in the building up of our faith, but it is our faith and belief in Christ that we have been saved from sin and made right before God. This firm belief is the ground on which we grow and become established in God’s love. Love is the ground that we begin to truly grow healthy in being what God wants us to be. Our roots take up what is good, giving us the strength and power to live each day in Christ. Living a Christian life goes beyond the formality of conforming to a religion. Our religion holds us to Bible doctrine, but it is not the ground on which we are rooted to be like Jesus. To be like Jesus requires that we be saturated in His love and allow the roots of our life to take up His love and be manifest in the way we live our lives.