Ears to Hear (Part 16)

Good Morning,

    "Blessed is the man who trusts and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.  For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spread out its roots by the river; and is shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green.  It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7,8)  Psalm 1:3 says something similar about the person who puts their trust in the Lord: "And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall proper [and come to maturity]."

    These two verses talks about trees that never loses its leaves and whose leaves stay green, through all kinds of climates and outside conditions.  In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round.  The contrast is deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the seasons.  Its not that evergreens never change, but it is not nearly as noticeable as deciduous trees.  Leaf persistence in evergreen plants may vary from a few months (with new leaves constantly being grown and old ones shed), to several decades.  They are going through transition, yet to the naked eye it is not as dramatic, as the deciduous trees, which provides us with a delightful range of colors, before they become bare.

    What is the advantage of being a tree that never loses its leaves?  Deciduous trees change their leaves, because they are trying to adapt to cold or the dry season.  Evergreens can take the warmer climate without withering, and they can adapt to colder temperatures and dry season as well.  Deciduous trees lose nutrients whenever they lose their leaves, and they must replenish these nutrients from the soil to build new leaves.  When few nutrients are available, evergreen plants have an advantage.  In warmer climates, certain species of evergreens grow in poor soil and disturbed ground.  Other types of evergreen can grow in forest, or in highly acidic soil.  In areas where it is to cold for the organic matter in the soil to decay rapidly, the nutrients in the soil are less easily available to other plants, this condition is still favorable to the evergreen.  In all kinds of climate condition, evergreens can reinforce their own survival.  In addition, the shelter provided by existing evergreens can make it easier for other evergreen plants to survive cold, heat or drought. 

    Now, we can be like this tree, by perpetually renewing ourselves through the Word of God, and by the Spirit of God.  The Word is referred to as our water and the nutrient for our spirit, soul and our body.  (John 4:14, 7:38, Ephesians 5:26)  God's Word is our water, it is the river that we should be planted next to.  This is where we can draw our nutrients to replenish us with continued strength, so that we never wither.  It would not matter the climate or the heat of living conditions, we would not lose our green (we would stay the same as we transition).  Our changes would not get negative attention [from onlookers], for we are in a constant state of change, getting stronger and more vibrant all the time.  When it becomes dry outside, it would not effect us, for we have chosen to trust the Lord.  We will still keep yielding fruit, maturing, and prospering in all we do, as we transition.  God says, "I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.  I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle and the wild olive; I will set the cypress in the desert, the pine and the box tree together, that men may see and know and consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it." (Isaiah 41:18-20)  This brings me to the last point I want to express and that is that all evergreens need the shade of other evergreens in order to grow strong.  We need more mature evergreens to shade us with their wisdom and insight from their years of staying planted by the rivers of living waters.  Those evergreens that have remained constant and steady, that haven't fallen off like leaves on deciduous trees.  "Walk with the wise and become wise.." (Proverbs 13:20)  We must choose to be an evergreen tree, by choosing to trust God and His Word.  Listen to the other option; "Thus says the Lord:  Cursed be the man [intense loathing with great evil] who trust in and relies on frail man, making weak human flesh his arm, and whose mind and heart turn aside from the Lord.  For he shall be like a shrub or a person naked and destitute in the desert; and he shall not see any good come, but shall dwell in the parched places in the wilderness in an uninhabited salt land." (Jeremiah 17: 5.6)  Well, that doesn't sound like a good choice at all!  Let's be evergreens and not shrubs.  Stay planted!!!

Love,

Pastor D.

Author: daughtersofz

Called, appointed and anointed by God, Pastor Debra Lowe has been called to the forefront to pastor along side her husband, Michael Lowe at Hesed Ministries. Pastor Debra has served the Lord for 39 years. Called as a Prophet to the nation she also walks in the office of teacher and is an intercessor. Pastor Debra has used these gifts to minister to the body of Christ, teaching men, women and children to enter into His presence causing them to mature and be changed by His Word. As a servant of the Most High God she brings forth a word in due season to the body of Christ. View all posts by daughtersofz