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Jun 17, 2026 06:00am

Rooted or Withering? The Truth About Spiritual Growth

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Which flowering bushes are the best for growing in Zone 7?

This weekend, I spent some time doing some research. I’m a novice gardener. OK, maybe that’s even giving me too much credit. I really don’t know much at all.

I do know that I love the beautiful blooms of an azalea, hydrangea, and wisteria. I want to breathe in the sweet smell of honeysuckle, roses, and peonies. I want my entire property filled with color from forsythia, rhododendron, and phlox.

And I thought gardenia bushes would be lovely off my back porch. They would be the perfect height. They have fragrant and beautiful blooms. And they were on sale at the store.

We planted twelve. And do you know how many of the twelve made it? How many survived?

Zero.

We see the flowers they produce—the beautiful blooms with a sweet fragrance of spring and summer. That’s what I wanted. But the blooms are just evidence of something vital for the health and growth of the plant.

And my gardenias didn’t have it.

Why? Because I planted them, but I didn’t know the first thing about gardenias. I didn’t seek out the truth about the soil they thrive in, how much water they need, or their ability to withstand cold. But without that knowledge, those roots wouldn’t grow.

Without a well-established root system, the plant wouldn’t survive. There would be no blooms, no growth, and no nutrients.

How sad! They could be so beautiful! But instead, their brown, withered leaves **were** evidence of what lay beneath the surface.

Colossians 2:6–7

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”

Do you remember when you were saved? This is the moment you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins. **The realization of what sin is and that eternity in hell is our destination because of it can be frightening.** It grips our hearts, and we recognize that the only One who has the power to **save us from the grip of sin** is Jesus.

But what happened next?

I asked Jesus to save me. I confessed my sins to Him. And I had a desire within me to learn more about Him, to seek out how I was supposed to live as a Christian. But I let my fears and my flesh keep me from being rooted in Him.

I called Him my Lord, but truly, He wasn’t the One I was following.

I was too afraid to ask someone to teach me. I was too embarrassed to admit what I didn’t know. I was too ashamed to be around people whom I believed were better Christians than I was.

**When I actually opened my Bible**, I was drawn to its words. I wanted to know more. I had questions. But I wanted the easy way.

So instead of investing in the truth, I looked to others to guide me. I watched people whom I thought were Christians and began piecing together what my faith was built on. If I liked what they said, I accepted it. If I didn’t, I chose to believe it wasn’t true. **The things they said and the things they did became my truth.** I was getting an image of the god I believed in, but it wasn’t the true God.

I was like that gardenia bush.

Planted but no growth. No blooms. And the leaves began to fade, no longer vibrant and green, but withered and brown.

Because there were no established roots. I wasn’t getting any nutrients.

How can we grow in Christ? How can we bloom with a sweet-smelling fragrance to the Lord?

Just as Paul said:

Rooted in the truth of Scripture.

Then we will be established in the faith.

We can’t expect to grow if we don’t seek out the good God has provided. His Word is our daily bread. Jesus Himself is the Bread of Life. **He is whom our souls thirst for.**

If you have asked Christ to save you, it’s time to grow in Him. He’s called you to follow Him, but that’s hard when you don’t know the way. Let me help you. Go to follow.lifeword.org. This is a great way to start your walk with Christ and learn the truth about the Savior. Then share it with someone who needs it too. Teach them as you have been taught.

If you have never asked Jesus to save you, today is the day. You’ve been feeling that tug on your heart, that conviction about the life you’ve been living. The Spirit is calling. It’s time to surrender. Pray to the Lord to save you. Tell Him you believe in Him and need forgiveness. Then commit to following Him through His Word and truth.

Friends! What a joy it is to be a part of the Lord’s garden! Rooted in His truth, established in the faith, **able to weather any storm that may come** because we are grounded in Him. He is the One who brings forth the blooms. Anything good that comes from us is because of Him! Our lives are an offering of thankfulness to Jesus. May it be as sweet as honeysuckle and gardenias to the Savior.

#awakemysoul #novicegardener #plantlady #morningdevotional #Lifeword