The Root

DEVOTION
ROMANS
THE ROOT
Rom 11:17-21
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
NIV
There is just too much here to deal with so for my own sanity, I may just have to do several devotions from this same section. This whole idea of being grafted in blows me away. As much as I know about the gentiles, which includes me, being included mainly because of the rejection of Jesus by the Israelites, I cannot also feel, God already had that planned from the beginning. He surely planned to reveal Himself to the world through the Israelites and thus bring all men to His court. But the astonishing truth within this text still speaks to the overwhelming fact, He is the source of life. So much of the time I wander into thinking about me and my life, and what am I going to do for the Kingdom. Even my previous devotion about making much of my ministry may fall into that category. Yet here I see how much of all that thinking has to come back to the source and stay focused on the simple fact He is the root, I am a branch and I cannot survive without the nourishing sap from the root. I can do nothing without being attached to the tree of life. God really does not need me, I need Him. How could I possibly even consider boasting about being grafted in? True I accepted His provision for eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ. True I had to choose to believe, and that is all I can do, is believe, anything else I do is because I am receiving His nourishing sap. If I produce any fruit, it is because I am grafted in to the tree, not because I produced any fruit on my own, not because I decided to bear fruit, but because He decided I would. He is the source of all strength, all power, all knowledge, all wisdom, all spiritual growth within my being. He is the root.