One of my favorite Bible stories is that of Zacchaeus, the "wee little man" (Luke 19:1-10). He was both literally and figuratively "up a tree" when he met Jesus. At some point in our lives, we all find ourselves "up a tree" like Zacchaeus, looking for a way out of our desperate situation.
Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. Maybe he had heard that Jesus wasn't like other religious leaders, or perhaps he was just curious. Quite probably he longed for redemption and restoration into God's family. Nevertheless, Zacchaeus knew he would have to be proactive if he was to see who Jesus was (Luke 19:3-4). Like Zacchaeus, when the Holy Spirit begins to work in our hearts, we will have a strong desire for God. We may not know exactly what we're looking for, but we're driven to seek for "it." We will do anything and look everywhere to find the piece and the peace that's missing.
Because Zacchaeus was small in stature, he climbed "up a tree" rather than stay "down on the street," among the crowd, hoping to see Jesus. When we seek what's missing in our lives, our ability to see is obstructed by the crowd of distractions of this life. We try things and come up empty. We have to look "up" and shift our vision from what's around us to what's above (Colossians 3:2).
Jesus knew Zacchaeus was waiting, looking, and longing to know him. When he passed by the sycamore tree, Jesus looked up and told Zacchaeus to hurry down because he must abide in his house today. One definition of the verb must is to be compelled. Zacchaeus' desire to know Jesus compelled Jesus to move into his heart and life. When we seek Christ, we find him (Luke 11:9-10). He dwells within us, and we are never the same.
Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully. He found whom he was seeking, and his life was changed. He repented and made restoration (Luke 19:8). When we receive Christ, we are forgiven, and he comes to abide in and with us. We become new (II Corinthians 5:17) and know joy (Romans 14:17; 15:13). We change what we've been doing and want to live a life that honors God.
The religious leaders of the day rejected Jesus because he associated with sinners like Zacchaeus, but Jesus came for the lost. About Zacchaeus' conversion, Jesus proclaimed, "This day is salvation come to this house.... For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:9-10). Heaven celebrated (Luke 15:10)!
Eventually, we all find ourselves "up a tree" (Romans 3:23), but when we acknowledge we're lost, we will find Jesus waiting to abide with us (John 14:23). We will know we have found Whom we were seeking.
Lord, you promise that when we seek you we will find you and that when we call for you, you will answer. Help us to look up to you. Thank you for being our Redeemer and for restoring us to your family. Amen.
Showing posts with label trees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trees. Show all posts
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Parenting - Raising Oak Trees or Tumbleweeds
When I was young, I experienced one of the great hurricanes to hit south Texas. We lived about 100 miles inland in a big two-storied house with a wrap around porch. The yard was expansive and was shaded by centuries-old oak trees. When the horrific winds of the hurricane blew inland, those magnificent trees literally bent to the ground, but they weren't uprooted or destroyed. Their deep-rooted strength held them firm through the relentless battering.
In Jeremiah 17, we are given a warning about what happens when we put our trust in people rather than in God. Jeremiah says that the person who ignores God and places his faith in man will be "...like a tumbleweed on the prairie, out of touch with the good earth...living rootless and aimless in a land where nothing grows" (Jeremiah 17:5-6).
On the other hand, the person who trusts and has his hope in the Lord will be "...like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers— never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season" (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
This message is one that parents must take to heart. Children are like trees. We can choose to plant them in fertile soil where they will be nourished and grow deep roots to sustain them, or we can put them in the ground to grow with little attention, resulting in a plant that withers and dies or becomes tumbleweed that is subject to the winds that blow.
A tree that is healthy is one that is planted in the right place to get the maximum nourishment and support from its environment. When a tree is first planted, it needs nutrients and water from sources other than the ground. It gets regular attention to remove disease or insects that might harm its growth potential. A healthy young tree is sometimes staked to protect it from wind, but eventually the support is removed so the tree can develop resiliency to withstand the winds. Trees that take root and grow strong are those that have been pruned and have had the "sucker plants" removed in just the right way and at just the right time of development. The trees that stand through the centuries are those that have been shaped for their purpose; they have survived where others have not.
From the moment a child enters our lives, we must begin the "husbandry" necessary to ensure that they are deeply rooted in Christ. This is intentional and on-going. Our role is to ensure that they are being "fed" God's word, that it is being deeply rooted in their hearts (Psalm 119:11) and that they are "planted" in a place that is appropriate to their lifetime sustenance (Psalm 1). We have the solemn responsibility of providing Godly support for our children, protecting them from the storms of life, while teaching them that God is their strength, always present to help (Psalm 46:1). Our role includes being the gardener who prunes and shapes our children that they might become who they are uniquely designed to be. We do this through the principles by which we live, by correction, discipline, and boundaries we set, and by the ways in which we feed their souls with our words and actions (Proverbs 3:11-12, Proverbs 13:24, Proverbs 19:18, Proverbs 22:6,15, Proverbs 29:15, 17, Ephesians 6:4, Colossians 3:21).
There's a reason I don't garden; it's hard work and takes time. Parenting is hard work and takes time, but parenting is also investing in the lives of our children so that when they are no longer in our direct care, they will have deep roots in the environment that will sustain them. They will be like those massive oak trees that took the hurricane force winds - they will bend, but they won't break because their strength comes from God (Psalm 121:2). They will be trees planted by the water, not tumbleweed blowing aimlessly in the wind.
Heavenly Father, thank you for being the Master Gardener in our lives. If we submit ourselves to your husbandry, we will never lack for nourishment; we will be deeply rooted in You, unmovable and bearing fruit.
Grant us the wisdom to raise our children so that they too develop deep roots in You, with faith in You to stand firm and strong no matter what life brings them.
We praise and thank You, Lord. Amen.
In Jeremiah 17, we are given a warning about what happens when we put our trust in people rather than in God. Jeremiah says that the person who ignores God and places his faith in man will be "...like a tumbleweed on the prairie, out of touch with the good earth...living rootless and aimless in a land where nothing grows" (Jeremiah 17:5-6).
On the other hand, the person who trusts and has his hope in the Lord will be "...like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers— never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season" (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
This message is one that parents must take to heart. Children are like trees. We can choose to plant them in fertile soil where they will be nourished and grow deep roots to sustain them, or we can put them in the ground to grow with little attention, resulting in a plant that withers and dies or becomes tumbleweed that is subject to the winds that blow.
A tree that is healthy is one that is planted in the right place to get the maximum nourishment and support from its environment. When a tree is first planted, it needs nutrients and water from sources other than the ground. It gets regular attention to remove disease or insects that might harm its growth potential. A healthy young tree is sometimes staked to protect it from wind, but eventually the support is removed so the tree can develop resiliency to withstand the winds. Trees that take root and grow strong are those that have been pruned and have had the "sucker plants" removed in just the right way and at just the right time of development. The trees that stand through the centuries are those that have been shaped for their purpose; they have survived where others have not.
From the moment a child enters our lives, we must begin the "husbandry" necessary to ensure that they are deeply rooted in Christ. This is intentional and on-going. Our role is to ensure that they are being "fed" God's word, that it is being deeply rooted in their hearts (Psalm 119:11) and that they are "planted" in a place that is appropriate to their lifetime sustenance (Psalm 1). We have the solemn responsibility of providing Godly support for our children, protecting them from the storms of life, while teaching them that God is their strength, always present to help (Psalm 46:1). Our role includes being the gardener who prunes and shapes our children that they might become who they are uniquely designed to be. We do this through the principles by which we live, by correction, discipline, and boundaries we set, and by the ways in which we feed their souls with our words and actions (Proverbs 3:11-12, Proverbs 13:24, Proverbs 19:18, Proverbs 22:6,15, Proverbs 29:15, 17, Ephesians 6:4, Colossians 3:21).
There's a reason I don't garden; it's hard work and takes time. Parenting is hard work and takes time, but parenting is also investing in the lives of our children so that when they are no longer in our direct care, they will have deep roots in the environment that will sustain them. They will be like those massive oak trees that took the hurricane force winds - they will bend, but they won't break because their strength comes from God (Psalm 121:2). They will be trees planted by the water, not tumbleweed blowing aimlessly in the wind.
Heavenly Father, thank you for being the Master Gardener in our lives. If we submit ourselves to your husbandry, we will never lack for nourishment; we will be deeply rooted in You, unmovable and bearing fruit.
Grant us the wisdom to raise our children so that they too develop deep roots in You, with faith in You to stand firm and strong no matter what life brings them.
We praise and thank You, Lord. Amen.
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