Every Christian and every church of Jesus Christ should be well fed. Like a tree planted by a stream, we should be well nourished. Have you ever stopped to think what a magnificent creation a tree truly is? Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918) wrote a beautiful poem about trees and finished with the line, “Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.” Indeed, only God can make a tree. Over three years ago my family and I visited the Joyce Kilmer National Forest in North Carolina. We were astounded at the size of the trees that we saw there. Only when our whole family, along with other friends, held hands together were we able to completely encircle a single tree. And as enormous as these trees seemed to us, we knew that there are even greater trees to be seen than these. How incredible is it that such an enormous, towering creation started as only a tiny seed, several of which could easily fit in the palms of our hands. Such is the mighty work of God. When we see a tree, we are reminded of God's work in us. People like Moses started out being challenged by God to accomplish a God-sized task. God planted the seed in Moses’ heart but Moses had a very difficult time believing that he could be used in such a mighty way by God. But Moses’ faith grew and God indeed did incredible things through Moses –because it was God’s idea; small is great in God’s hands. God uses the humble things of this world to underline the fact that we need Him in our lives and we can’t survive under our own steam. He who started a good work in us will bring it to completion. Somewhere and at some time God planted a small seed in our hearts. That seed sprouted and took root: We accepted the word by faith and died to our old selves and God made us new creations in Christ. The deeper our roots became, the stronger and more visible our faith became.
A tree gains nourishment from its roots. The deeper the roots, the stronger the tree, so let your roots dig deep. If you have distanced yourself from the Word, then maybe its time to fall in love with the Word of Life all over again. Here You will find real life -nourishing and abundant life. Do not uproot yourself but rather, dig deeper. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. This is where we start as Christians and this personal mission should never grow old or casual. As long as we are still here, we should never feel like we have all that we need. We are ever-growing, ever learning, ever deepening in our relationship with our Savior. He is the WORD. Our faithfulness and consistency is a reflection of how much we love God. If you love to be at the Sunday morning service and prioritize your life to reflect that, then you have truly taken root and have committed yourself to your God. But taking root is just the beginning for a tree. Though the roots grow deeper and farther, they are not the total end result. A disciple must stretch herself or himself, like a tree, upward and outward –flourishing in every direction as she or he grows.
As we continue to grow and reach towards heaven we also continue to branch out and thrive. Jesus wants our impact to be noticeable, powerful and honorable to God. Let’s not disappoint Him!
Today, after church, we will be discussing the process of discipleship that Kouts Christian Church will be pursing. Please attend to see where we’re going. See what the focus of Sunday nights will become. And see how you can be a vital part of this future. We welcome Zach, Jesci and Torrin Korff to help us with this journey. Our goal is to reach entire families in our community, and Zach is going to help us do just that.
As we reach out to families and the community, Kouts Christian Church’s roots will grow deeper, her branches will grow broader and her crown will produce fruit for the One we love. Only God can make our church grow. And God honors the obedient –because obedience is a true expression of our love for Him. Don’t settle for less than what you were meant to become. Don’t become comfortable with what you currently have in your relationship with God; there is always more. Dig a little deeper.