Trees.

For one reason or another, I've been thinking about trees a lot lately. Before you think I'm strange, just let me explain. The leaves on the trees are changing and falling off...I've been faced with different "trees" I can climb in the decisions for my future (which really isn't mine...but the LORD's)...usually if a tree is mentioned in the Scripture I read on a particular day, that's the part that sticks out to me the most...they are just a perfect demonstration of God's sovereignty in Creation.

"To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for His own glory." --Isaiah 61:3.

One thing you have to realize about oak trees: how often have you seen someone just push one over? How many times have you seen them crushed by the pouring rain in a thunderstorm? How many times have you seen them just get tired of standing up and instead choose to fall over? Never. We should be more like the mighty oaks that God created. When people persecute us, we should not give in. When the storms of life beat down, we should stand strong in the LORD. When we are exhausted and overwhelmed, we should realize that God is our strength.

"Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do." --Psalm 1:1-3.

When we follow the decrees of the LORD, we should be confident in the fact that He will bless us and make our labor for him effective. Our roots will grow down deep into Him and the promises of His Word. (Ephesians 3:17).

"He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak; he plants the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain. Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire. With it he warms himself and bakes his bread. Then--yes, it is true--he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god to worship! He makes an idol and bows down in front of it! He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm. He says, "Ah, that fire feels good." ... Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut and they cannot think." --Isaiah 44:14-18.

How utterly despicable. How many times in the Old Testament does this happen with the Israelites...I think of the golden calves the people had built when Moses came down from Mount Sinai...and Gomer's delusion that her "lovers" had given her everything that she had. And how ironic that the man in this passage takes care of his own needs before he makes himself an idol to worship. It is (or should be) the opposite with us...we should praise God, the Only Creator of All, before all else, trusting that He will provide for our needs.

"They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots." --Jude 12b.

This is probably the roughest condemnation ever to be achieved in this world. If one were to come to this place, they would have no hope other than turning back to the LORD. Jude is talking about false prophets through this letter and encouraging Christians to use discernment to know what and who to believe. These false prophets have been cut off from the Source and therefore cannot create the fruits that He created them to. May we never sink to this point.

Stay strong. And connected to the Source.

Psalm 118.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Let all Israel repeat: 'His faithful love endures forever.' Let all Aaron's descendants, the priests, repeat: 'His faithful love endures forever.' Let all who fear the LORD repeat: 'His faithful love endures forever.'" --verses 1-4.

Did you catch that? It wasn't exactly subtle. Paul says many times in his letters that we are to give thanks in all circumstances. ALL circumstances. That means when you are exhausted, or burnt out, or aggravated, or upset, or stressed out. God never ever fails...and since God is love, love never fails either. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that. 1 John 4 says that perfect love drives out fear, so we should never doubt the depth of God's love for us...even in the toughest times. We should, instead, give thanks and proclaim that His faithful love endures forever.

"In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the LORD is for me; He will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes." --verses 5-9.

Can I just "amen" that?! All of it. God is faithful to answer when His children cry out to Him for help. He is their help. And He is the only hope we have for overcoming the sin that so easily entangles, as mentioned in Hebrews 12. We are only temporary citizens of this world, so the world has no power over us...therefore, nothing in or of the world can ever touch us. When we look in triumph over those who hate us, I think it means in the past, present, and future...we look back at the battles that the LORD has already fought for us, we endure persecution in the present because we know that our help comes from the LORD, and we look to the future knowing that He will conquer all those who profane His glory and His name. People fail. It's a proven fact. So put all of your trust in the LORD...He will never leave you...He will provide you with people whom you can trust in this world, once you realize that He is the source of all.

"Though hostile nations surrounded me, I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD. Yes, they surrounded and attacked me, but I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD. They swarmed around me like bees; they blazed against me like a crackling fire. But I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD. My enemies did their best to kill me, but the LORD rescued me." --verses 10-13.

I see a recurring theme here: "with the authority of the LORD." The New King James says: "in the name of the LORD, I will destroy them." This just goes back to the fact that when the LORD is on our side, we can defeat any army. And these enemies that the psalmist is talking about have all received their ultimate animosity from the Enemy...you know, the angel who thought that he should have just as much authority as God...and we already know that he will be demolished in the end.

"The LORD is my strength and my song; He has given me victory. Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things! The strong right arm of the LORD is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things! I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the LORD has done. The LORD has punished me severely, but He did not let me die." --verses 14-18.

And yet another recurring phrase...have you ever noticed how things are repeated three times for emphasis? Point proven...the strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things! And living to tell what the LORD has done is essentially what we are called to do every moment of every day of our lives.

"Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the LORD. These gates lead to the presence of the LORD, and the godly enter there. I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory!" --verses 19-21.

In the Old Testament, God was only accessible to the Israelites through an intermediary, or priest...but now, because of the New Covenant in Christ's blood, He has become the Great High Priest and given us open communication channels to God. He is both the atoner and the atonement.

"The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the LORD's doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Please, LORD, please save us. Please, LORD, please give us success. Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords to the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever." --verses 22-29.

I've almost run out of things to say and different ways to communicate the fact that God is good and His love is unfailing. So...listen. God knew you before you were thought of, created you, cares for you, is concerned with every detail of your life, and will never ever leave you. End of story. But, that's not really the end.

Go Hard.

I use the phrase "go hard" frequently, and it is basically self-explanatory, but I want to define how it is manifested in my opinion. I think that going hard means being completely sold out to Christ and to the work of the Kingdom without regard for the ways of the world. As Christians who are going hard for the LORD, it shouldn't matter in the slightest what society thinks of us, other than the fact that they can see our reverence and love for the LORD as superseding all else. All too often in the Christian life, we compromise our beliefs and convictions because we are comparing ourselves with the world and the people in it. That is an immense problem.

We are in this world, but not of it....so why would we base the way we live our lives on other people? The thing is: we don't deserve this gracious gift of life. In fact, we only ever deserve death. Literally, every single breath we are allowed to take is another gift from our Creator...how often do we thank Him for that? It is absolutely remarkable that we are not all dying an eternal death in Hell right now. God created us for a purpose and He gave us the unfathomable opportunity of life through His Son...and we are called to live life abundantly...and live it eternally through our faith. Understanding that this life is not our own, why would we live it selfishly as if we deserve anything? God blesses us with every new morning, so we should live for Him entirely.

We can accomplish so much more for Him when we rely on His strength. That means that when we are going hard for Him every day, we can succeed (in the Kingdom sense of the word) in things so much bigger than ourselves. That is the true life of faith...and we should strive for nothing less.

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." --2 Corinthians 4:7.

"Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the LORD enthusiastically." --Romans 12:9-11.

This will have to be another post sometime, but another thing that Christians have compromised on is the true meaning of love. I think that we have fallen back to believe that love is merely what the world tells us it is. This could not be farther from the truth. It was out of love that God created the universe, He forgave the rebellion of the Israelites every time they turned away, He sent His Son as the once-and-for-all Savior, and Christ gave up His life to save all of mankind who believes in Him. Is that what you think of when you think of love?