Trees

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

- Trees by Joyce Kilmer, 1886 -1918

Trees are amazing things. They produce oxygen for us to breathe. They give us shade to cool us in the summer. And birds nest in them, just as the poem says. Trees even power our cars. Bacteria and plants (trees) + time + pressure = oil. We refine oil into gasoline.

God also uses trees in the Bible to describe life and wisdom and knowledge. Trees existed before Adam and Eve - they were created on the third day (Genesis 1:11). Adam was created on the sixth day (Genesis 1:27).

Someone recently asked, "How God could send people to hell who have never heard about Him?" The answer to that question is found, of course, in the Bible. God's creation is the living evidence that He must exist. Somebody had to have made all this stuff!

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." - Romans 1:19-20

Further tree thoughts: Did you ever notice how a trees' branches resemble the human lung? They both breathe air and live. Coincidence? God's creation is amazing. And tree's are only one example of God's handiwork.

The following link is to a website that contains many such stories about God's creation. Check it out and be amazed at all of the things that God has done.

Creation Moments

The Family Tree

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:5

We all have a family tree. Some are big, some are small. Some have lots of branches while others don't have many at all.

When a family tree first starts out there aren't many branches at all. Just a couple of little leaves and a stem. That's God's Biblical concept of a marriage.

"And the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” - Mark 10:8-9

It's not long before branches form and take off in their own direction. These are like the children of the marriage. And then the branches bear fruit (grandkids!).

Some couples choose not to have kids. Their family trees resemble telephone poles. When the couple grows old and dies, so does their tree. That's it. Sad.

Sometimes our family trees can also suffer loss. When a child dies it's like a branch breaking off in a storm. The tree lives on but it's never quite the same.

A tree that is firmly anchored in the ground by a strong root system can handle just about any storm. But a tree with weak or shallow roots will not last. It's like a family without a common faith in God.

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." - Colossians 2:6-7

Is it any wonder that God chose The Tree of Life "to enhance and perpetually sustain the physical life of humanity?" (GotQuestions.org)

"And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." - Revelation 22:1-2

May your faith roots sink deep into His soil. May your roots drink deep as you nourish and strengthen your family. The love of our Savior is all the sustenance a family tree needs to survive in this world, and in the next. Drink deep.

The more mature a tree gets the closer it gets to heaven. Let it be so with us as well.

The Parable of The Pine

We had some pretty strong winds blow through here last week. I didn't expect they'd be bringing a life lesson along with them but they did.

My wife and I built our house in a pine plantation 40+years ago. The trees on our lot were much smaller then. Today most of them stand 70-80 feet tall. And boy, do they dance when the wind picks up.

We can learn a few things from pine trees. They provide valuable lessons for anyone trying to survive in the world we live in today.

First, there's safety in numbers. A clump of pines can survive a storm because are together, supporting one another. A tall, single-standing pine doesn't last long in a storm.

Another thing about pines, especially red pines like the ones we live in, is that most of their 'life,' all the green branches, are at the top of the tree. The lowest braches are either dead or dying. That's because only the branches that are in the sun thrive and survive.

All trees grow upwards, towards the sun. No tree seeks out the darkness. That's because darkness kills. Light is life.

You and I are just like those trees in many ways. Trying to go it alone in this world is tough. Family and friends provide support for us. Your local church is a great place for support and encouragement for those who are struggling.

And consider the branches. That's us! Only those who are in The Light, in The Son, can receive salvation and eternal life. The rest just die and fall off. We are to grow upwardly and thereby be closer to God and The Son.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:5

One more thing about trees in general. They exist to grow. They grow by being fed, watered and by being in the sun. We are the same.

We exist to glorify God and grow spiritually in our faith. We grow by being fed the Word of God, by drinking in the life-giving water of Jesus Christ and drawing closer to Him.

God wishes that none would perish but some will unwittingly choose to do so. Stand strong. Stand together. And be that light in this world as He is the light in ours.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." - 1 John 1:7

The Olive Tree

My wife and I pruned our crabapple tree last night. All this rain and the warmer temperatures have really made it grow. Almost TOO big. But now the tree looks good. Well-shaped and more energy-efficient, it is going to produce much fruit into the future.

The same thing works for you and me. God prunes us through trials t develop our character - fruit. If we don't produce fruit, God cuts us down and throws us in the fire.

Pruning is one thing, grafting in branches is another. Neither my wife nor I have that knowledge or ability. But more on that in a moment.

Have you ever heard of replacement theology? It is the believe that "The Church" has replaced Israel in God's plan. Believers in Jesus (Christians) are the new "Israel." And the Jewish people have been rejected by God in favor of the church. That's the belief. It's not true.

Take a look at Romans 11. Paul explains the truth rather well. We, the Gentiles, have been grafted in to "the olive tree" - Israel. The tree is Jesus. The Gentiles, that's us, are one branch. The Jewish people are still another branch. Those who come to faith in Jesus that is. Other branches, those who don't place their faith in Christ, are "broken off.

You don't want to be broken off.

"17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you." - Romans 11:17-18

We should thank God every day that we have been grafted in. We are blessed to even be part of the tree at all!

Romans 11:11-32

Chainsaw

Our family farm in Michigan holds many special memories. The tire swing in the barn. The pine trees my dad planted on the back hill - now towering high above the ground below. The farm house and barn itself hold many hidden treasures which in turn trigger many remembrances of days gone by. Days we remember and treasure greatly.

One of those treasures sits right outside the back door - a large maple tree. Is was big when I was a kid, some 50 years ago. It is even bigger now. I remember climbing up next to my grandpa as he rested in the hammock he had positioned under the tree. It's cooling shade, along with a gentle summer breeze, were always welcome on hot summer days.

Over the years the maple tree has grown - not only up and outward but down as well. It's long branches actually sag downward and out as it tries to find light for more of its leave. The branches are SO low in fact that they now block the view my sister, brother and I once remembered.

Back home in Wisconsin my wife and I are building a fireplace in our home. One of my goals on this trip to Michigan was to cut an old barn beam on our farm and use it for a mantel. But in order to do that I needed a chainsaw. So when we were at our family reunion a few days ago, I asked my uncle if I could borrow his. He gladly said yes. He even put a nice, sharp chain on for me.

I cut the barn beam for our fireplace back home and began to put the chainsaw away. That's when I examined the big maple tree and decided to do some trimming. My sister, brother, my wife and I proceeded to trim branches off the tree until the view we remembered from our childhood returned. We all felt SO much better being able to clearly see the woods and the apple trees on the back hill where the deer come to graze on transparents and to bed down for the night.

Our lives can become cluttered with "branches" of its own. Things can get in the way of our "vision" in this world. We often lose what's really important in this life, like family, friends and memories of days gone by.

Are there "branches" blocking your view of Jesus? Things that keep us from reading His Word or offering up prayer. Things can creep in, blocking our vision of what's truly important. What we need is a chainsaw. And we need to do a little trimming in our own lives. That "chainsaw" is Jesus.

So pull out your Bible and begin to read it. Soon you will see your vision begin to clear. You will begin seeing things you had forgotten, since your childhood perhaps. You will begin to see things in a new way. And your life, and the things you see, will become clearer and easier to see.

God provides each of us with an inner desire to seek Him. Not everyone answers that call. Not everyone tries to trim the sinful things out of our lives. But for those who do, for those who desire to be refined and to become more like Jesus, there is an incredible world awaiting to be seen, the view of which is unblocked by the branches and leaves of this world in which we live.

Pick up your chainsaw today, God's Word, and start trimming yourself by learning what God's will is and then sit back and look at the world around you through God's eyes. The view is amazing.

"He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers." - Psalms 1:3