“Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit.” (Proverbs 12:12)

The word “bears” is in the present tense, suggesting an ongoing, continual reality.

Other translations refer to the roots “enduring”, “going deep” and “standing firm.”

Jeremiah 17:8 says this about the righteous: “They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Clearly there is a correlation between the enduring quality of the root and the fruit-bearing fruit capacity of the tree.

Psalm 1:3 which resembles the verse from Jeremiah in many ways, refers to the tree bearing fruit “in season.”

Once again it reinforces the fact that a tree with deep, firm roots can be expected to produce fruit on a continual basis.

According to John 15:16, Jesus expects his followers not just to bear fruit, but “fruit that will last.”

A root that endures produces fruit that endures. Amen?

In the well-known parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus says: “Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.”

No wonder that we see a repeated emphasis on the root in Scripture. Here are a couple of snippets from the writings of the apostle Paul:

“Be rooted and built up in him, be established in faith, and overflow with thanksgiving just as you were taught.” (Colossians 2:7)

“…you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19)

As we examine our rootedness and resulting fruitfulness on this fourth day of the 12:12:12 fast, would the word “enduring” be an apt description of both?

Would you characterize the fruit of the spirit that your life is producing right now as being “enduring?”

Or is it marked by sporadic outbursts of fruitfulness followed by bouts of barrenness?

Would you ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the true nature of your root today?

If it is anything less than enduring, would you ask him to show you what you need to do to produce fruit that endures?

I pray that your life may be marked by Enduring Root that produces Enduring Fruit.