Are You a Stunted Shrub or a Strongly-Rooted Tree?

Think about the answer to this question:

“Are You a “Stunted Shrub” or a “Strongly Rooted Tree”?

I found myself drawn to a passage of scripture that I had read many times before. I even have it memorized, but I never really took the time to really read it and see what it was actually saying, that is until recently.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 says this:

This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength
and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land.
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit."

In this passage, two different types of people are described. Jeremiah 17:5-6, describes one group of people referred to as “stunted shrubs”. They are described as those who are quick to trust in other people.(who will eventually disappoint them and often more than once)They place their trust in things like their status, or their jobs; or even worldly things like possessions, instead of God, who has never and will never leave or forsake us, and who’s mercies are new each morning. Stunted Shrubs do not trust God because they doubt in his ability to do all He says He can and will do. When troubles come, the stunted shrub-ers prefer to handle things on their own, relying on their own strength to get through even the most difficult things in life. Very often they are unsuccessful. Stunted Shrubs are very unlikely to be actively seeking God. Not only are they avoiding the Word of God, but they also avoid prayer. They tend to turn away from God when things get tough and turn other means of temporarily avoiding the problem. Failure to seek God out through his Word, and in prayer, leaves the door wide open for doubt, discouragement, hopelessness, and sin to come waltzing in. Since the roots of a Stunted Shrub are shallow, they are far away from the source of living water, that comes only from God, making them spiritually malnourished and unable to produce fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 continues with the description of the second group of people known as “Strongly-rooted Trees”. This group of people place all of their hope and confidence in God because they trust that He has their best interest at heart. They have faith in God and they believe the promises he made to them, to be true. When troubles come, strongly rooted trees turn first to God for strength, comfort, peace, and guidance. They turn to His Word, in order to gain encouragement, and direction. Strongly rooted trees also have roots that run deep within the living water, drawing the strength and power needed to be victorious over doubt, discouragement, hopelessness, and sin. These distractions are less likely to come waltzing in because of the barrier that has been created by the Strongly-rooted tree as protection against such distractions. This barrier, often built by the power of the Word of God, enables the strongly rooted tree to remain focused on the problem solver, rather than the problem in the midst of trials. Because of their unwavering faith in God, strongly rooted trees, are spiritually well nourished and they never stop producing delicious and honorable fruits like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Let’s take a look at another illustration:

Remember Philippians 4:13? It says:

"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."

This verse is probably a familiar verse for most people, but have you ever considered John 15:1-8?

In John Chapter 15:1-8, Christ says this:

"I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father."

God gives us the strength (if we ask for it) to do everything and anything we can possibly do, which is far more than we can imagine. Everything comes from Him and all things are possible with Him, however, without God WE CAN DO NOTHING! Nada, zip, zilch, zero, etc… Let’s take a closer look at John 15.

The vine is the source of life for the branches and without the vine, the branches cannot produce fruit and they wither and die. The vine supplies a source of life to the branches; they are totally dependent on the vine for survival. In a sense, the branches receive daily strength from the vine, so that they can not only survive, but prosper and produce fruit. Now let’s think about what this means regarding our relationship with God. If He is the Vine, then He is the source of living water, and he is the source of life. If we, the branches, are not totally dependent on Him to supply us with our daily life sustaining needs, and with strength, then we will essentially wither and die, just like the branches who have become severed from the vine.

In other words, trusting in anyone or anything, but God, and relying on your own strength, especially when you are struggling, will leave you like the stunted shrubs in the desert or like the branch severed from the vine – hopeless, worried, fearful, and spiritually malnourished. But if you trust God and place all your hope and confidence in Him, drawing upon his strength and guidance, all the time, not only when you are struggling, You will be like a strongly rooted tree – hopeful, confident, joyful, and spiritually well nourished by the living water, the God who loves us infinitely more than we, as humans, can comprehend or imagine.

I will leave you with some things to ponder (and yes, I have left you to ponder these things before. They are good to ponder.

Do you think that you can handle everything yourself and that you don’t need anyone… including God?

Do you trust God in ALL things, or just the things you want to trust Him with?

Do you know and believe that God loves you and has your best interest at heart?

What would you do if the only thing you had left to cling to was God?

So, which category do you fall into more?
A Stunted Shrub? Or A Strongly-Rooted tree?