Living in the grandness of Colorado and traveling to the mountains often is like walking through a divine art gallery. Nature here doesn’t just sit still; it grabs you by the senses and shakes you awake. And if you've ever bitten into a juicy Colorado Palisade Peach, you know what I mean! That peach, sweet and perfect, didn’t just happen overnight. It started as a tiny seed, growing into a sturdy tree, nourished by the soil, rain, and sun until it became something delightful—an actual work of art, and what a great picture of life itself.
Think about it. That peach tree needed a solid trunk to support the weight of its branches and fruit. It couldn’t produce anything worth tasting if its foundation were weak. The same goes for us. Like that tree, we need a firm foundation to grow and a solid character to thrive. Without deep roots in something meaningful, our lives won’t bear the fruit that makes a lasting impact. So, what’s the trunk that holds you up? What supports the life you're building?
In the Bible, God frequently uses the image of trees to teach us about life. Psalm 1 talks about those who delight in God’s law as "a tree planted by streams of water," yielding fruit in season and never withering. But what makes this tree strong? It’s the “righteousness”—the solid core that gives the tree its strength. Just as a tree’s trunk supports its growth, righteousness is the core of our character. With it, we’re like a sturdy tree in a storm, standing firm against life’s challenges, prepared to hold up goodness no matter what.
But righteousness isn’t something we conjure up on our own. It's not about trying harder or being “better” in some vague sense. No, it’s about being rooted in the right soil—God’s truth nourished by His grace. The world is full of opinions, distractions, and shifting values, but if you're not anchored in the reality of who God is and what He says, you're like a tree trying to grow in dry, cracked soil. The fruit you produce won’t last; worse, it might not even be worth tasting, a sad reality for many.
What kind of soil are you rooted in? Are you grounded in God's truth or the shallow opinions of the world? Are you growing in His righteousness, which is the teachings of Jesus, or are you trying to build your life on shaky ground with bad habits like dishonesty, selfishness, or pride? These bad habits are based on false truth claims about life rooted in flawed character models outside of Jesus.
When we align our lives with God’s values, guided by Jesus' wisdom, a miraculous transformation takes place: we begin to bear fruit that nourishes others. Like that peach tree, you are designed to serve the world with your gifts and talents, offering something that will bless those around you. But it all starts with the foundation that gives way to righteousness—the trunk of who you are, to bear the load of abundant fruit expected.
Take a moment today to deeply assess your spiritual soil. Are you grounded in God’s truth, or is your foundation shaky? Choose today to root yourself in His Word, and let the trunk of your life—your character—be strengthened by His righteousness. Your fruit will bless the world in ways you can’t even imagine.
Just believe, and grow.
Pastor Drake