If you enjoy having plants in your home, as I do, you know they have basic needs: light, moisture, food, air, and heat. The plant variety determines how much of each it needs.
Although there are plants that grow without soil, such as air plants, most plants need soil or some kind of anchor for their roots. Water and nutrients are drawn into the plant through its roots.
A plant can become root-bound when its root system becomes too big for the flower pot. For many plants, this causes the roots to become tightly compacted and can interfere with the plant’s growth and health. I sometimes have to prune, or cut back, the roots and repot the plant. When I prune the roots, I usually prune the top of the plant to help it recover from cutting the roots.
God’s Word often uses plant analogies for the Christian life. The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 describes a farmer planting seeds which land in different kinds of soil. The good soil is the person who hears and understands God’s Word, and, like a healthy plant, grows and thrives and reproduces.
A tree planted by a body of water can thrive in drought because its roots still receive water (Jeremiah 17:7-9). The apostle Paul encourages Christians to be rooted and built up in faith in Christ in order not to be led astray by false teaching (Colossians 2:6,7). He prays for believers to be rooted and grounded in love through faith in Jesus Christ.
Being rooted, or firmly established, in faith in Jesus Christ allows believers to draw spiritual nourishment from Him that will help us withstand the storms of life, to be strong, and to share God’s love and the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.
I don’t believe a Christian can ever be too firmly rooted in faith in Christ, although there are times we need to be pruned, or disciplined, to make us stronger (John 15).
John 15:2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
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