Look up

“He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought.” (Jeremiah 17:8 ESV)

Trees are an amazing part of creation that contribute so much to creation itself and to humankind. The sheer volume of oxygen produced by trees alone is enough to make it majestic.

The roots of trees are incredible. The roots of trees can grow to a depth of twenty-four feet. Most of our shade trees growing in deep soil can regularly grow to 20 feet deep. That is a fantastic thought. Look at the big red oak tree and think that twenty more feet of that tree are in the ground.

Young trees require care. They must be watered to promote root growth, especially in young trees. You should never compress the soil around a newly planted young tree; doing so restricts the growth of the roots. Newly planted trees should be fed to help the roots take hold and establish themselves in the ground. There is a lot more to trees than meets the eye. If a tree is weak and appears to be in distress, you should call an arborist to help it recover. I love trees.

No, this is not an arbor blog, a nature blog, or an ecological blog; it is a Christian blog. Each Christian is a tree in the kingdom of God. We need to be watered in that we need to feed on the Word of God. The deeper our roots grow in the kingdom of God, the stronger and hardier Christians we become. Like the tall tree that withstands the hurricane, the deeply rooted Christian can withstand the storm of the world.

Young Christians are like young trees. A seed gets planted. We water that seed with faith and love. As that tree grows, we feed that tree with the Word of God. As a young tree, we have planted that tree among like trees so that fellowship takes place. As our tree grows, we correct its growth by pruning, explaining wrong and right behaviors, and helping that tree by eliminating the branches that damage growth. We support that tree with poles that help keep that tree upright and straight; the rules of our Christian homes are the poles that keep the Christian growing in the right direction. We do this until the tree is sturdy enough with roots deep enough to keep it upright on its own.

When we look at our young Christian's growth, we can see they are fruitful in their devotion to God. My son recently made a statement to me about my being a godly example to others. It warmed my heart to know that my son sees that in me and understands how God expects us to be. We continue to feed our young tree with the Word of God; we continue to prune our young Christians, helping them deal with the challenges of the world. Until we see their maturity. Then we help them through life; we rake up the leaves and pick up the broken branches of our young Christians resulting from the trials of the world.

As we mature in Christ, we become even more rooted in the Lord. We become further sanctified, and although we are still sinners, we turn more and more from sin. As a mature tree, we are able to withstand the storms of the world. We no long doubt the sovereignty of God, replacing fear with faith that makes us, like the giant redwood, unmovable in our Christianity. We provide shade to the younger trees around us; we nourish the rest of creation with the fruit that we shed to the ground.

God continues to water and feed us until that time when the tree has reached the end of its life. All of creation is finite. It is here God calls us home, and we are resurrected in His glory. The young ones remember the old tree and the tire swing they swung on, the tree house they played in, and how much they loved that old tree.

God is great; His creation is great. God continues to nurture us. I am thankful to know and understand the Gospel. Spread the Gospel so that the forest continues to grow.

Peace and Grace!