The fruit that comes from the roots of God’s Word.
by David Silvester
‘Take root downward and bear fruit above’. This short phrase has been in my memory for a long time. It speaks to me about the things of God dropping deeply into our spirits so that the Holy Spirit feeds them and causes them to germinate and bear fruit, fruit that’s pleasing to Him.
In my childhood, Sunday school teachers would give a verse of Scripture to learn each week. In those days we only used the King James Version of the Bible, and today most recollection of Scripture is in that form. However, with today’s variety of versions of the Bible, and by comparing different translations, verses can come with clearer understanding.
It’s amazing how God brings to mind a verse that has been in the memory many years, and uses it in a particular situation in an especially appropriate manner. For example, when my wife and I were talking with someone an obscure verse came to mind and she questioned if it was really a verse of Scripture? On finding the reference she asked, ‘How did you know that verse?’ It was one of the verses I learned in Sunday school.
‘For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart’ (Hebrews 4:12).
So, when we let the ‘seeds’ of God’s Word sink deeply into our mind and memory, there is no knowing how and where it might bear fruit, or what that fruit might be. But when the Holy Spirit activates a ‘seed’, the fruit it bears may speak significantly to someone’s situation, and thereby bring glory and honour to God.
We used to sing a Chorus which went something like this; ‘Hide God’s Word in your heart, Hide God’s Word in your heart. The Word of love sent from above. Hide God’s Word in your heart’.
There’s an amazing power in God’s Word to bless us and bless others when His Spirit brings it to mind in particular situations. So let His Word ‘take root downward and bear fruit upward’, and look for God to use them in ways that cause you to rejoice and praise Him.
Prayer: O Lord God, thank You for Your Word. Help me to take it deep into my spirit and memorise it so that You are able to remind me in those moments when You want to use it to speak to someone. Amen.
David Silvester is married and has a son, two daughters and eight grandchildren. He trained as a production engineer. He then moved on to become a lecturer of engineering craft skills before being called of God in his early fifties to become a pastor of a Baptist church. He says that,"having previously experienced an amazing healing on a day others expected me to die, it came as no surprise that God directed me and my wife, Margaret, to become involved with Ellel Ministries."
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