Trees of Life Take Two

I’m writing a second blog as a result of thinking about my trees of life. I needed to add my usual object lesson, but that would have made the first blog too long.

Just letting you know, I am nothing like God.

I say I am made in His image and love to create like Him, and I do believe that. But I am nowhere close to His creativity or any other of His wonderful attributes. Shoot! He simply spoke and all of earth and all its wonders were created perfectly. And that doesn’t even include all the universes out there! Too mind boggling to even consider!

I on the other hand – let’s just say bless my heart.

Yesterday’s blog reminded me of several examples of God’s loving care of us as He guides our lives.

Isaiah 45, Jeremiah 18, and Romans 9 all speak of God being the Potter and we are the clay He wishes to continue to mold and shape for His purpose.

I read a commentary on John 15 with an interesting take on Jesus as the Vine, and we are the branches, and God being the Master Vinedresser. Even as the Father prunes the unproductive areas, attitudes, and activities of our lives, there is also a process the vinedresser uses to encourage more fruit. ‘Airo’ means to lift up as in the case of the vinedresser lifting up and propping up the weak branch so that it gets more sun to strengthen it which would result in more fruit.

I tried to explain my trees’ bases as trialsome and caused problems from the git-go! I wanted to have some Biblical basis for spiritual strengths or weaknesses.

And WOW! As I looked up ‘roots’ on the Open Bible site, I was shocked how many there were. Here are three places for starters.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV    ‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 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, for it does not cease to bear fruit.’

Colossians 2:6-7 ESV    ‘Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.’

Ephesians 3:14-19 NKJV.  ‘For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ  …  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.’

When I think of myself wobbly, unbalanced, and easily swayed by the trials of life, may I focus on God’s Word and the truth that God is still at work in me to help me stand straight and strong in Him.

Blessings

Kara Beth