First Things First
2 Kings 19:30
"And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward."
There are certain parts of sowing and reaping that seem to be less desirable, but they are probably the most important part of the whole process. When I worked in the strawberry fields of California, one of the most undesirable times of the planting season was when we planted. Reaping was always the most desirable because that was when we made the most money. However, when we planted the seedlings, it was hard work that didn't pay much money. Yet, without the time spent planting the seedlings, we would not enjoy a long reaping season.
In the verse above, God told the remnant of Judah to "take root downward, and bear fruit upward." What God was teaching them was the importance of building the foundation before you start worrying about the fruit. God understood that the remnant would have to start all over. He understood that they would need to build the infrastructure before they worried about the booming economy. If they ignored the infrastructure of the spiritual and financial economy, then their existence would be short lived. Though building the infrastructure was not glamorous, the infrastructure was the root system of the whole financial and spiritual economy.
If a business is going to be successful, then the root system of that business is going to have to be strong. Many people go into business without any root system, and their business is short lived. They go into business without establishing their purpose of business, the roles of leadership, the uniqueness of the product, financing of the business, how to operate the business and the best way to sale the product. Without these things being previously settled, a business has no root. They may be able to sell things for a short time, but eventually without the root system, or infrastructure, the business will fail. It is imperative that a business focus on taking root before they get too concerned with the fruit.
Likewise, the family needs to focus on its root system if it wants to succeed. Communication is one of the most important parts of any relationship. Without communication, the family will have problems. That means you must spend time together to have a successful family. The family must know their roles in the home and stay in those roles. Rules to live by must be established if the family is going to be happy. Likewise, God must be included in every facet of the family if it wants to be happy. If the family ignores any of the root system, then the fruit of happiness will be short lived.
A church must also give time to setting its root system if it wants to be fruitful. Too many churches worry about the fruit of souls without ever taking time to meet the needs of the root system. Christians need to know what they believe. That is why it is imperative to have a good Sunday school, because the Sunday school really deals with the root system of the Christian. The Sunday school will help Christians to become grounded in the Word of God. If you don't attend Sunday school, then you are hurting your spiritual root system.
Simply put, be sure to take care of the first things first. Don't jump to the fruit side of life first, hoping to enjoy the fruit without spending time establishing the root system. If you will get the root system of business, family, marriage and church strong, then the fruit-bearing season will last a long time. However, without a strong root system, the fruit-bearing season will be short lived and will not withstand the storms. Don't ignore your root system, but give it proper time and the fruit will take care of itself.