Digging up dead roots - Devotional thought by Maddie

Our day guard for our neighborhood here in Costa Rica is very diligent. A while back, we noticed him spending tireless hours digging up a dead bush in the hot sun in our neighbors front yard. Hour after hour he spent, digging and digging at the roots until finally he got them out of the ground. He didn't stop the work there. After the root had been dug up, he planted a new bush. The new plant is a bougainvillea, bearing precious pink flowers that add much beauty to this neighborhood. There might be a day when there is another dead plant somewhere, and he'll probably have to restlessly repeat the exact process of digging and replanting.

It made me think about the dead roots I may have in my heart, that my dear Heavenly Father is restlessly trying to dig up and get rid of. I know that I have some and that God is digging up those "dead" roots that have been planted in my heart and getting rid of them. Have you ever felt the hand of God removing a particular sin out of your heart? A dead root perhaps? 

What is a spiritual root? There are many of them and they can take deep root into our hearts when we allow them to. There are roots such as fear of man, selfishness, jealousy, self pity, and anger. Yes, sadly, there are more.You may think that there is no hope for digging them up and getting rid of them- but there most definitely is! God is the master gardener.... replacing dead plants with beautiful ones that bear much fruit. 

Replacements of sinful roots may be:

Instead of:

Fear of man-  Fear of God

Jealousy-        Joy for our Brothers and Sisters

Anger-             Patience

Selfishness-   Humbleness 

"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

You see, God will not stop molding, changing and growing us more like Him-He will carry on the good work that He started in each one of us until the day of Christ Jesus! Praise God!