Happy Monday! It’s July 21, 2025.
New technology, AI, and faster computing chips remind us that life is on fast-forward. That may be true in the digital age, but not necessarily when it comes to our spiritual growth. Read on …
Today's Reading:
2 Kings 18,19; 2 Chronicles 32; James 5
Scripture
“Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.” (2 Kings 19:30)
Observation
“Don’t get the cart before the horse.” Or, if you’re a football fan: “Don’t start running before you catch the ball.” And in 2 Kings, God gives us His version: “Take root below… bear fruit above.”
Roots first. Then fruit. No fast pass. No skipping the line. No spiritual vending machine.
The Israelites wanted produce without the process. Like cut flowers in a vase—beautiful, maybe, but disconnected and dying. They longed for the prize without the practice. Trophies without training. Applause without obedience.
But the Old Testament is more than a record of their failures. It’s a mirror for ours. We see ourselves in their reflections—impatient, shortcut-seeking, fruit-hungry… but often root-shallow.
Application
We live in a culture of now. Microwave meals. One-click purchases. Instant everything. But you can’t microwave spiritual maturity. We want:
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Favor without prayer.
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Strength without sacrifice.
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Impact without integrity.
But God’s order hasn’t changed. Root first. Fruit later.
The hidden work matters most. That’s where stability is born. That’s where storms are weathered. The life no one sees is what sustains the life everyone does.
Prayer
Lord, help me to slow down, so I’m not chasing fruit without tending to roots. Teach me to dig deep in quiet places. Remind me that what I build in secret is what You use in public. May I not be like a cut flower—briefly impressive but quickly fading. Grow me downward, so I can bear fruit upward… in Your time, for Your glory.
Amen.
-Wayne Cordeiro
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