My father-in-law who pastors a church a Williamsburg, VA shares a weekly email to encourge his congregation and others whith whom he ministers...myself being one of them, which I must say is a true privilege. He is a wise man of God who has been in vocational ministry for most of his life. I benefit from his insight and discernment as often as I can! Here is a sampling...from Pastor Tom Wells.
I was driving down the road the other day and the thought dropped into my heart out of Psalm 1:3 where it says, “HE SHALL BE LIKE A TREE PLANTED…”. This verse is explaining what will happen to the person who is “blessed”…because ‘he walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the paths of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful’. There’s a big difference between a tree PLANTED and a tree POTTED. The tree potted looks the same right now, but does not have the potential of growing and bearing fruit. The potted tree just showcases what a young tree looks like before it begins to really ‘take off’ in its native habitat. The potted tree is green now, but has not grown the right root system to sustain it if a dry time comes; that tree is very dependent upon getting water daily and it takes much more moment to moment care…because it is not “planted” yet.
The PLANTED tree however, has a root ball where the canvas has been taken off and has negotiated a long term stay IN THE GROUND. It has made the decision to be IN THERE for the long haul…and has forfeited the life of being transient. We are much the same being “God’s field or garden” (1 Corinthians 3:9); before salvation we were not in soil that we could grow spiritually because we were spiritually dormant. But when we made that decision to give our life to Christ and follow Him, God undertakes the transition of taking us from being “potted” in our own cares, goals and preferences…to being planted in His House, in Him. The old ‘potted’ lifestyle has to go…the frequent waterings of selfishness and stroking our egos has to die so we can be TREES PLANTED BY THE RIVERS OF WATER. Those rivers flow in God’s House, in God’s building made out of living stones. This is where we come into a commitment to the Lord by being planted in the House of God: the benefits are plentiful…4-fold:
You’ll be planted by “the rivers of water”: lots of moisture, fulfillment, purpose as your life takes a God-track. Relational fulfillment and growing purpose abounds…
You will “bring forth your fruit in its season”: your life will begin to carry the weight of maturing, ripening fruit that affects people and brings lasting change.
“Your leaf also shall not wither”: in the past we had seasons of things going well and working out…but those were reciprocated by times where our leaf “withered”…showed the signs of no life and lost purpose, not knowing where we were going. That STOPS when I get ‘planted’ in the House of God (local church).
“And whatever he does shall prosper”: there is a decree that God will be your promotion and He will sustain what you do and make sure it multiplies.
This is Pastor Fred again...remember, wisdom is not so much what you understand to be true but how you live that understanding every day. Let's agree to be people of wisdom today, planted trees, living up to the truth we know and have connected to our lives.
Happy Memorial Day weekend! Find someone you know, a family who may have someone close to them serving in the military and let them know how much you appreciate their sacrifice!!!
Life to the Full!
Pastor Fred
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