05-31-13 Cedars of Lebanon

Psalm 92:12-15 "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, "The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him."

I know - last verse same as the first ;) Well, same as yesterday's anyway. 
Since we seem to be on the theme of trees and how they mirror attributes of Godly character, I figured it would only be right to talk about 'growing like a cedar of Lebanon'.

First of all, a cedar tree is actually in the evergreen family - it has greenish-blue needles instead of leaves. These are replace every two years or so. It can grow to approximately 80-100 feet tall and 50-100 feet across at the top. I say 'at the top', because a cedar tree left in open space will reach out in a wild array of branches and will be flat-topped. If it's in a densely populated space or the resources aren't sufficient for it to grow that way, it will grow straight up - sort of like a pine tree.

A Lebanon Cedar won't grow it's fruit (cedar cones) until around it's 25 year, when it reaches maturity.  They are not prone to disease and require much sun and water to thrive, but over-watering can make the roots begin to rot. That is why it needs to be planted in an area with full sun.

Its oils are said to have properties to repel insects, cure leprosy (Leviticus 14), be made into perfume or cologne, reduce stress, lessen acne. The hardy wood was used to make the interior walls for Solomon's Temple, and many other items for Kings, including thrones.

The cedar does not need to be pruned. It can grow freely. Saying that, the flat-top variety will drop a branch now and then (obviously, it just doesn't need it) which could be hazardous anyone standing underneath, as they can be very heavy.

Green is said to mean life - growth to be ever green is to have life forever, which we, as Christians, do. Blue is grace - so we live a life of grace - favor towards others. 

When the Lord thinks us ready - when we reach that age of maturity in the Lord, we begin to bear our fruit. In Christ, we are not prone to disease and sickness, because Jesus paid for all that on the Cross - though there are times  when disease and sickness occur due to reasons that we may know or may not ever find out until we 'go Home'. 

We need Jesus - the SON to thrive... ever-flowing through and around us through the power of His Spirit. If we receive too much of the Spirit (meaning we receive - but never give out) our roots or our spirits can begin to rot - we may begin to be prideful or see ourselves as superior to others, etc. That is why we need to follow the Lord's leading and be planted where He wants us to be - talking and living among the people He wants - that way we stay in the Son. 

We grow not only upward towards the Lord, but at outward towards those in our span of influence to bring them into saving grace. Left in the open - when we are open towards the Lord, we are free to grow and expand our 'territory' taking back what the enemy has stolen in our lives. Since we have branched out - we can soak in more of the Son, to give to the world. But, we can also conform to our surroundings, and grow straight upwards towards the Son. Like Jesus did eating with sinners and prostitutes and those mean, old tax collectors ;) 

Each of us is usable for something in the Kingdom of God. Just as there are wide varieties of use of the Cedar, each of us has a use - a path the Lord has laid before us - our work to do.

Cedar is very heavy - it dense and strong - it can grow in fertile soil or sandy soil. It's versatile. As Christians, we have our strength from our Lord Jesus. When we are ready, He will let us know what we are to do...  listen - always be listening for His Voice calling out your name.

05-30-13 Palm Trees of Righteousness

Psalm 92:12-15 "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, "The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him."

Staying on the theme of trees, this passage of scripture talks about palm and cedar trees. Of course, there are many varieties - just like any other tree... just like us.

The scripture above states that we will flourish like a palm tree. Palm trees grow from the center outward to form the 'leaves' or fronds.  Our Center is Jesus, He is our source from whom we grow stronger.  It's interesting that the fronds die off and are replaced by other fronds as the tree grows. As we grow in the Lord we shed off the old sinful nature as the new righteous nature comes forth. 

When the tree reaches maturity, its fronds are at the top of the tree, fully exposed to the sun and elements of the sky. BUT this is where it's fruit can be found. They produce all different kinds of fruits: coconut, dates, peach-like fruit and acai berry; however, some of them are poisonous except to squirrels and foxes.

When we reach a certain point in our walk with the Lord, He reveals to us our gift(s) - our calling - our service for Him in the Kingdom of God.  This doesn't mean we're all done with being transformed into the likeness of Jesus though. The higher the calling the more exposed we become to the Lord's gaze through the power of Holy Spirit. The more we push through whatever the Lord is showing us that needs transformed, the more we begin to see fruit growing from the fronds. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control, and gentleness - all of these begin to germinate and grow within our lives.

The fruit is good for others to eat and to be nourished by. The fruit of our lives should bless others - they should see something in us that is different from the world. We lead people to Christ and/or we disciple them and/or we help them to grow having Jesus as their Center in some other way (maybe it's emotionally, mentally, or spiritually).  Healing comes in all shapes and sizes.

The thing about palm trees is that they flourish in different climates. Some flourish in deserts and dry areas, some flourish in rain forests.  They flourish where they're planted. We all have our unique place of residence in the Garden of the Lord - that we call 'Earth'.

All the while thanking and praising our Father.  

Praise The Lord!!

05-29-13 Oaks of Righteousness

Isaiah 61:1-3 "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

Blessed to be a Blessing... to others - to God, our Father. The evidence that Holy Spirit is on us is manifested when we proclaim the Good News of Jesus whether by talking or by action.  

The evidence is made manifest by binding up broken hearts, freeing captives of the enemy and the world's system, releasing prisoners from darkness, showing others the Lord's favor while letting them know that God will take vengeance on those who have hurt them.  It's washing away the ashes of mourning and showing them how God the Father sees them - giving them joy. No spirits of despair allowed, but garments of praise to the God and Father of all, Who loves everyone with an everlasting love.

The same that others and the Lord has done for us, we turn around and do for others. Who else is better qualified? We learn from the best Teacher in the world! We all become oaks of righteousness - planted by the Lord for others to see HIS SPLENDOR AND GLORY!

After saying all that I did yesterday on Oak Trees... this is truly amazing to me. We are planted firm and grow strong towards the Son.  We become safe to those who have no one safe to go to - spreading out our arms in welcome as giant branches of shade and refuge. We yield food for others - discipling those who come under our care.  Though the storms rage around us, don't break....we may bend, but we don't break, because there is Life in us.  Only dead trees break, not those that are fully alive and grown.

This is what I strive for.

Youth Alive WA - Spirit of the Lord

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkJaFhdUHh8

05-28-13 Tree by Water

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Psalm 1:1-3 "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers."- NIV

I woke up thinking about oak trees. Probably because oak trees are usually massive, strong, long branches, and the roots are remarkable in their own way (sort of reminds me of Father).

So, true to nature, I looked up some facts about oak trees.  There are many varieties, with different kinds of leaves - some do better around water, some are fine in the middle of a field. We basically have a good idea of what oak trees look like above ground, but what going on underground?

They have what's called a 'taproot' that goes deeply into the earth - perhaps several feet. The taproot searches for nutrients and water.  As the tree grows, other roots grow off of the taproot.  Sinker roots form about the same depth of the taproot, as the taproot recedes. These then start bring up the nutrients and water. Buttress roots are a little more closer to the top and grow from the taproot horizontally to give support to the tree so that it will not topple when the winds come. Lastly, Winter Feeder roots grow several feet beyond the tree.  These are horizontal and are the most shallow, most vulnerable, but very vital when the keep the tree alive with water and helps with bringing in some nutrients during the winter months.

Another fascinating fact is that an oak can live for around 1,000 years if left alone. The provide shade and even living quarters for certain animals (shade for humans also - and something to climb if so desired).

So, let's see what all of this means to us.
Well, for one - we're all different and we all have different gifts or service that we do for the Lord.

When we first become a Christian, is our Taproot. He nourishes us and sustains us with Food (The Word of God, being discipled by a more mature Christian) and He quenches our thirst with Living Water (The Word of God, Holy Spirit).  He wants His Truths to go deep inside of us.

We receive power and illumination and the ability to see our own lives (resentments against others, unforgiveness, woundedness) from His Holy Spirit. So, those 'sinker roots' - Holy Spirit strategically places Himself right next to those areas to help (or is it prod) us to do something about them.  Because Father doesn't want His little tree to become decayed in one place or another.

Jesus begins to pull back a bit - temptations and trials of life come at us and we have to rely on what we have been taught. Speaking the Word outloud, praising Father or Jesus for what He's already done and that He will get us through this also.  Those Words that have been put into our spirit are the 'buttress roots'. If the Word isn't there - when the winds come, we more than likely will topple.

The during the winter months, the times we totally do not sense the Lord's presence around us and wonder what we've done wrong, the 'winter feeder roots' pulls in encouragement from friends, from sermons, from reading our Bibles, by remembering what the Blood of Jesus did for us, and reminding ourselves and others Whose we are, Who He is, and Who we are in Him.

Now, we may not be on this earth for 1000 years, but we will someday live thousands, upon thousands of years.