On my walk this morning the wind was blowing pretty hard. At times it was coming at me from the front, while at other times it hit me from the side or from behind. One moment it was slowing me down and the next it was pushing me down the street.
The leaves which had fallen from the trees were also being blown around, swirling down the street. Detached from the branches where they’d been growing all summer, they had nothing to hold them in place, so they were sent spinning in whatever direction the breeze was blowing at the moment.
Without staying in constant connection with Jesus, through Bible study and prayer, each of us is at risk of being like those leaves, “tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching.” (Ephesians 4:14 NLT). We must let “Christ…make his home in [our] hearts as [we] trust in him.” Then our “roots will grow down into God’s love and keep [us] strong.” (Ephesians 3:17).
If we do this “We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” (Ephesians 4:14, 15).
Colorful autumn leaves blowing in the wind can be a beautiful thing to see, but Christians who are “tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching” are in danger of being swept away. Our only hope is to stay connected to Christ everyday and every hour and to “hold firmly to what we believe.” (Hebrews 4:14). Then, no matter how hard the winds of strife swirl around us, we won’t be blown away.