Ephesians 3:17b-19   …That you, being rooted and grounded inlove, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God

Where are your roots? I had a great aunt who decided to check into the Mattil origins, and she discovered that somewhere back there I am related to the great composer Mozart. If that is true, he must have used up most of the musical talent in this family.

While tracing your ancestors can be an interesting endeavor, that is not what I want to share with your today. When I ask “where are your roots?” I am asking about your spiritual roots.

Paul tells us to be rooted and grounded in love: love for Christ and for our fellow man.  That is the way for us to live lives that are pleasing to God, the one who has provided salvation for us. His love led Him to make payment for our sin and give us forgiveness. And if we are rooted in Christ, we will want to attach ourselves to fellow believers.

I have been privileged to see the giant redwood trees in California twice in my life, once as a child and then again when I was in my forties. When you see those trees, some of which are over 300 feet tall and 2500 years old, you might think that their roots go hundreds of feet into the ground. Actually, their roots are very shallow. The roots of those trees intertwine in such a way that the trees are all locked to each other. They stand up against the wind and the storms because of the strength they draw from each other. Each tree is important to the other trees in the grove.

In the church, we should be tied to one another in like fashion. All Christians are rooted in Christ. These roots in our common Savior should be linked to each other. We are to share in the fellowship with other redeemed sinners. By our love for one another, and our participation with each other in the work of the church, we will show the world what a difference Jesus makes in our lives. And we will always have the strength of our fellow believers to draw upon in our times of need.

The words that are translated as “rooted and grounded” also have as a meaning “to take up residence and dwell” in this love. We should live in the certainty of the love of Christ. That, then, will guide and direct our lives. It will control our actions. You will ask yourself in any and all decisions, “What would Jesus want me to do?”