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Your Roots


As David finished Psalm 37, he described two different kinds of people and what would happen to them. First, he described the powerful. "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed I sought him, but he could not be found" (vv. 35, 36). The powerful are rooted in this world. They are like a tree that looks strong and stable. One day a storm comes and blows the tree over. It is then cut up for kindling and is gone. The most important part of a tree is its root system.


If you are rooted in this world, you have no security, for everything here is temporary. But if you are rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have the permanence of eternity upon your life. Don't envy the powerful or those whose names are blazoned abroad. Don't worry about what happens to this crowd. God tells us what happens: They could not be found; they're gone. But "he who does the will of God abides forever" (I John 2:17). That's why it's important to live for the Lord today.


Second, David described the perfect man or woman. "Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace" (Ps. 37:37). The future of the powerful person is destruction; the future of the perfect person is peace. The word perfect doesn't mean "sinless." Nobody is sinless. Instead, David meant the sincere person, the wholehearted person, the person who practices Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."


When we are perfect in Christ, accepted in the Beloved One, we have peace, we have strength, and we have God's salvation. "And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him" (Ps. 37:40). Today, don't walk by sight, looking at the native green tree. Walk by faith. Be perfect in the Lord, and He'll bless you.


Our spiritual root system is important to our spiritual well-being. Where we send our roots will determine which resources we will draw from. Are you rooted in the world or in Jesus Christ? Are you living by faith or sight? Trust in the resources you have in Christ and grow in His grace.


Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group (bakerpublishinggroup.com). Used by permission. All rights to this material are reserved. Material is not to be reproduced, scanned, copied, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from Baker Publishing Group.

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