Live Like a Root, and You'll Bear Much Fruit

 
One time at our Friday morning men’s Bible study, we were talking about the Final Judgment and how lots of biblical texts speak of how we will be judged by our works. The discussion naturally centered on the relationship between faith and works (or, you could say, between the root and the fruit).

Root and fruit. It's a common analogy. The fruit evidences the life and health of the root. If there is no fruit, then there is a systemic problem. You can't just tack on fruit. You need organic change at the root level.

So, back to that Friday morning. Rob Alekel was sitting there thinking. You could see the wheels turning. And then he shared an incredibly helpful insight. He said, “I've been thinking about this root analogy. Roots are water-focused, not fruit-focused.”

Do you see how practical and helpful Rob's insight is?

So often we are more focused on our performance than on the finished work of Jesus – what HE has done. How often do we obsess (consciously or subconsciously) over questions like: 

Am I okay? 

Am I good enough? 

Am I performing well enough?

What do I do with my failures?

How can I make up for them?

What do people think of me?

If roots were always searching for fruit, there would be no fruit. The reason roots grow and bear fruit is precisely because they are NOT fruit-focused, but because they are WATER-focused!

If you are a Christian, don’t focus on your performance. Don’t focus on your fruitfulness (e.g. your productivity, or how much you've done or given or accomplished). You’ll either get depressed or you’ll get puffed up with pride. Instead, go get a drink. 

John 7:37-38 

Jesus [said], "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

Come to Jesus (over and over and over) and drink, and you will have lots of "cups of cold water" to hand out to others (Mt 25:34-35). Or, live like a root, and you'll bear much fruit.