This morning I was thinking about some friends I know. They do not have a worldwide 
ministry. They have not written books. If you saw either of them at the grocery store or the coffee shop, you would not recognize them as the next-best-gift-to-Christianity. But this I know: Their roots are deep. They are building their life on the foundation of God and His Word. They have a great impact on my life, and others, yet many people may never know who they are. They are some of the most stable, consistent, hungry pursuers of Jesus that I know. Their desire to bring God’s kingdom to this world is humbling. They are the kind of people that these verses are talking about:
[1] Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. [2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. [3] He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:1-3
The man in Psalm 1 makes God’s Word the thing he longs for and delights in. He makes God’s Word a priority, and takes pleasure in seeking out God, and God’s ways, through His Word. This man also continually meditates on God’s Word: he thinks about it, he sings it, he imagines it, he speaks it – until it has transformed him from the inside out – changing first his thoughts, then his beliefs, moving outward to affect everything he is, and everything he does.
When we draw our life from knowing God, as the source of all that we are and do, we will have a harvest (produce fruit) when a harvest is needed (in season). The fruit of our lives will feed and nourish us. It will feed and nourish others. And within the fruit is more seed, that we can plant to see greater harvest season after season. This man also prospers and flourishes: his branches spread wide, providing shelter, shade and protection for others.
I just heard a story about a storm that felled many trees. The trees were large and tall. They were healthy and flourishing. But after the storm, so many had fallen, and upon inspection, they had very shallow roots. Because the rain is so frequent in that area, the trees never needed to send roots down deeper to find water and nourishment. It was so easily accessible near the surface. It is not enough to be near the source of water, we must establish ourselves deep in it.
In contrast, are the trees I see frequently while hiking in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. These areas are high mountain deserts. The trees growing high on the mountains are gnarled and twisted from years of drought, wind, rock slides, and heavy snowfall. They are not tall and grand; but they are not going anywhere. They have deep, established roots that cannot be shaken! 
My friends are a bit like that (sans the gnarled and twisted part): though you might not see much from the worlds perspective of a ‘successful Christian,’ (i.e. book deals, speaking engagements, mega-churches) these people have made a relationship with God the number one priority of their lives. Every storm, every dry time, every difficulty, creates a deeper hunger, and a bigger push to know God and see His Kingdom come to the people they minister to.
To wrap up my thoughts today, here is my paraphrase of Luke 6:46-49 (see The Foundation of Your Life):
Why do you say that I am the owner of your life and do not abide in what I instruct and say? Dig down deep to get to the bottom of wisdom and truth, and build your life on that solid rock. Then, no matter what disaster comes your way, you will stand on what is true, you will have no doubt, and no fear of the storm, the accusations, or the insults. Because your foundation will be firm, rooted, established, and unshakable on me. I do not accuse, I do not lie, in my love there is no fear. So begin this work of digging deep, and building your life on truth! -Jesus
Thanks for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts! ~Annie
