What can give us depth?
- Jacob Ninan
Jesus mentioned about the seed which fell in a rocky ground which sprouted up fast but withered quickly when the sun came up - because the soil had no depth (Mt.13:5,6). Jesus compared this type of ground to people 'who had no root in themselves' (v.21). What are the things that we should take care of so that we can have roots which go deep?
The first and foremost thing is a deep and real love for Jesus. This comes from a recognition of His love for us in the face of the fact that we don't deserve it. If we don't recognise this, our relationship with Jesus will be superficial - without depth. On the contrary, the more we appreciate His love, the more we will want to please Him and to do His will.
Another important factor is our determination to love Jesus and to please Him. The degree of our determination will decide how we would face opposition and hindrances. If we are not absolutely clear about wanting to please Jesus no matter what it would cost us in terms of earthly things, we would wither up as soon as the heat starts coming.
Someone has said that we should gauge the depth of our love for Jesus by seeing how much we are willing to sacrifice for Him. Wealth, earthly honour and pleasures beckon us on every step in life. Some of them tempt us directly to sin, while others would tend to lead us away from Jesus. If we are not willing to deny ourselves in order to be pleasing to Jesus, we can hardly hope to have any spiritual depth (Lk.9:23-25).
Finally it is our faithfulness in the small things of life that will contribute to our depth. Carefulness with the choice of words, sensitivity to our attitudes that direct our words and actions, willingness to acknowledge quickly when we go wrong and always being willing to learn, will send our roots deep down. Then we will be firm and stable, and not easily shaken.