Root vs. Shoot

Luke 19:¹³ “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.” (KJV, emphasis added)

The root is arguably the most important part of the plant. The roots come first and as long as the root remains, the plant remains. But when the root is done, the plant is gone. Grow your roots. When you grow your roots, it is not popular because growing root usually happens in obscurity.  No one sees the root. No one takes a selfie with the root. We all want to take selfies with the shoot because it is beautiful, it is flowering, and that is fantastic. But you have to remain planted and grow your root. There are two major things the root does and the first is, the root gives the plant stability [anchor]. The reason a lot of people are losing grounds is simple, no roots. And when the wind comes, what happens? It blows them away. Grow your roots.

The second thing the root does is, it gives the plant access to resources that eyes cannot see.  Resources that are not visible to the naked eye, but the effects are undeniable to all. People can see that you are fresh, shining and blossoming. In fact, it is as if you do not get tired. Check the roots. If you are quick to focus on the shoot without taking root, you are asking for trouble. Therefore, many people today seem to be on a merry-go-round because they have no root. Growing roots most times is painful, messy, not beautiful, and it is not comely.  But you have to grow your roots. The time you spend growing your roots is not wasted time – not at all.

When you start to build a house, you have to pay the price to lay a solid foundation. If you do not do that, you will pay the price when the building comes down. Whichever way, you will pay the price. 2John 1:⁸ “Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.” In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, you will not lose grounds. You have to grow roots. You have to occupy that land. You have to send your roots deep down into your territory. Growing roots is hard work, but it is necessary. God is doing a brilliant work in the lives of certain people reading this today, but it is in the root stage. Be patient and send your roots deep into the ground.

In God’s Favourite House, very often, people come up with ideas of what they think we should be doing as a church. When I decline, they typically ask why. My response is, we are growing roots, not shoots. In year one, we are growing roots. By year two, they are like surely, we have grown enough roots with all the vigils and all the prayers. My response, we are still growing roots. In year three, we are still growing roots. In year four, we are still growing roots. Year five? Yes, we are still growing roots. In year six, we are still growing roots. Year seven, year of perfection, let us do this xyz. We are still growing roots. In year eight, they said, Pastor, this is not root, this is shoot. It actually depends on how far you are going. Our time to shoot has come, we have begun to shoot, and we will continue to grow roots in the Name of Jesus because it is time to sprout.

Prayer: Father, help me give attention to growing deep roots, in Jesus Name. Amen!