1. A Little Tree In The House Of The Lord
I am feeling so much better and I thank the Lord for helping me. I am also thankful for all your prayers. On Wednesday I was reading Psalm 52 and the Lord gave me peace and comfort when I came to verse 8. "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever." I knew that I would not be able to go to church Wednesday night, but God gave me peace that I was like a little green olive tree in His house. Here I stand, or sit, rooted and grounded in God's love, being fed and watered by His Word. Praying that God will use me and make me fruitful for His glory. Even when I am not able to go to church, He is still with me. I want to talk about "A Little Green Tree" and see if God can use these thoughts to help us grow.
2. Lights On The Tree
For more than a week now I have spent hours daily, sitting in my recliner, facing the green tree that stands in the corner of the room. Jedidiah and Elsa decorated it for me one day before I started getting sick. Most of the decorations are family photos that I made into ornaments over the past few years. It is so peaceful to see the lights on the tree shining among the pictures of my family. This is how I want life to be. I want God's Light to shine through me, and around my family. God tells us in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." When my children were small I loved turning off the house lights and rocking them in the soft glow of the Christmas tree. My babies are all grown, but I still find joy in the lights of Christmas. Jesus came to bring Light to a dark world. "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." (John 12:46) I am thankful for His Light, and I want to live my life, letting His light shine through me.
3. Ornaments Of Grace
I have seen pictures of some really beautiful Christmas trees shared on facebook. My tree is not a grand picture of perfection, but I see beauty in the family ornaments scattered among the branches. Some are gathered in little bunches, where small hands could reach, and others are placed together where the branches were shaped just right to hold several pieces. It is special to me. I leave them just as they were placed, and I see the love my grandchildren shared in placing each ornament on my tree. We talked about letting God's Light shine through our lives, and today we see that we can carry ornaments of grace in wisdom. "She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee." (Proverbs 4:9) Peter also tells us what types of ornaments we need, to shine for the Lord. "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." (I Peter 3:3-4) As I take my place as a little green tree in the house of the Lord I want to wear the ornaments of grace and shine from within.
4. A Tree Is A Tree No Matter How Small
Back when my sisters and I were young we couldn't understand why Grandma H. did not have a Christmas tree. So, for several years we would go walking in the woods near her house and cut down a small tree. We put it in a bucket of rocks to help it stand, and decorated it with paper chains. Then we would make a star out of tin foil and put it on top. It was small, but it was a tree. My house is in the edge of the woods and I often watch the squirrels play and bury acorns in the back yard. Sometimes I see a tiny oak tree starting to grow next to the house, and I know that I have to dig it up before it gets bigger. Trees start out tiny, but they grow and grow. When we are first saved we begin small, but as we learn from God's Word, He feeds us and we grow. Our scripture today is from the very first Psalm. Let's grow and prosper for God's glory!
"1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Psalm 1:1-3)
5. The Trees Lift Their Branches In Praise
I believe that God gave the songs to the birds to praise Him. And although He did not give voice to the trees, He gave them branches that they can clap and wave in praise to Him. In our metaphor of being a little green tree in the house of the Lord, I want to lift my hands and heart to praise His blessed name. We are moving from the very first Psalm where the tree brings forth fruit, to the very last Psalm where every thing that has breath is told to praise the Lord. "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD." (Psalm 150:6) There are several more verses in the scriptures where the trees praise the Lord. Let's praise the Lord!
"7 Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:" (Psalm148:7-9)
"10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." (Isaiah 55:10-12)
29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
30 Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.
32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.
33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth.
34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever." (I Chronicles 16:29-34)
6. Are We Bearing Fruit?
I always liked the Charlie Brown Christmas special. I was very young when I first saw it, and it has been my favorite Christmas cartoon through these many years. It is special to me because Linus recites the Christmas story from Luke 2. When Charlie Brown and Linus go to get a Christmas tree, and carry the small tree back to the stage, Lucy tells Charlie Brown that he doesn't know a good tree from a poor tree. The Bible speaks of good trees. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said, "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit;..." (Matthew 7:17) Are we bearing fruit? Are we good trees, or poor trees? I want to be a good tree for my Lord. Jesus went on to say, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7:20) The Bible even tells us what type of fruit we should bear. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23) Can others tell that we Christians by our love? "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35) Can the world see joy and peace in our lives? Let's be good trees and bear good fruit.
7. Zacchaeus Climbed A Sycamore Tree To See Jesus
(I had an overnight stay at the hospital for some tests, and I am back at my computer today. Thank you for your prayers!)
Someone posted an idea to begin reading the book of Luke on December 1st and read one chapter each day to read the story of the life of Jesus by Christmas day. As I read the 19th chapter, I came to the story of Zacchaeus. I learned the little song about Zacchaeus when I was very young, and have read the Bible story many times. As I read it this time, I was thinking about the tree. Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming through Jericho, and he wanted to see Him, but because he was a short man he could not see over the crowd of people. What would he do? He looked around and he saw a sycamore tree. He put forth the effort, and climbed the tree. I believe that God planted that tree right there, many years before, just so it would be there for Zacchaeus that day. When we want to see Jesus, God can make a way. God may give your Pastor just the right message you need to hear, for a need you are facing in your life. You may find just the tree you need to help you reach up to the Lord. It can work the other way, too. God may let your path cross with someone that needs an encouraging word from you. And, some day, you may be the tree someone else needs to be lifted up to find salvation in Jesus. As we continue with these thoughts on being a little green tree in the house of the Lord, I want to encourage you to be a tree, strong and steadfast in the Lord, to help others see Jesus.
"1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:1-10)
8. Why We Have Christmas -- Going Back To A Tree
Do you know why we have Christmas? Do you know why God sent His Son into the world? It all goes back to a tree... a tree in the garden of Eden. God created the world and all that is in it, and He created Adam and Eve and gave them a beautiful garden to live in with all they needed. "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17) They had a beautiful life in the garden, and walked and talked with God. But, they chose to go against God's commandment and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. They tried to cover their sin with fig leaves, but that tree could not cover their sin. Sin brought a curse on the world and sin had to be paid for. Adam and Eve were driven from the beautiful garden and an animal sacrifice was made to cover their sin. On the first Christmas, God sent His Son to a lost and dying world, so that He could give His life to pay for our sin, once and for all. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) We are all born into a sin cursed world, but because of that first gift of Christmas we can ask Jesus to save us and He will give us eternal life. Have you received the true gift of Christmas?
9. Noah Had Gopher Wood For The Ark
The world grew so wicked that God told Noah He was going to destroy the world. But, God gave Noah a way to escape, by building an ark of gopher wood. This familiar story is another example of how God used trees in the Bible. I want to be a little green tree that God can use!
"11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he." (Genesis 6:11-22)
10. Christ Hung On A Tree
Today is Christmas Eve and if we are not careful we will get so busy in our preparations and parties that we might forget why we have Christmas. We touched on this subject Sunday when we talked about how Adam and Eve brought sin into the world when they disobeyed God and ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. To pay for their sin, and for the sin of all who would believe, Jesus came to earth on that first Christmas. He lived a perfect life, and gave His life on a cruel cross. As we visit with our families and enjoy the festivities of the Christmas season, let's not forget why He came. Jesus came to die. He left heaven to come to earth and give His life on the tree, the cross. This is a day of joy! But, we only have this joy when we believe on Jesus, the only begotten Son of God and confess our sin, and receive His gift of life. He gave His life on a cruel tree, so that we might live forever with Him.
"29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." (Acts 5:29-32)
"38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." (Acts 10:38-43)
11. Christmas And The Tree Of Life
In the beginning of creation the Tree of Life was in the garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned they were driven from the garden so that they could not eat from that tree and live in their sinful state forever. There are three verses in the book of Revelation that tell us the Tree of Life is now in heaven. Jesus is our spiritual Tree of Life. Do you believe?
"I am that bread of life." (John 6:48)
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:" (John 11:25)
"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John 20:31)
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." (Revelation 2:7, 22:2 & 14)
12. "Thy Rod And Thy Staff They Comfort Me"
There are many useful things that can be made out of wood from trees. We recently used the 23rd Psalm in several devotions, and today I am looking back at the 4th verse, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Every time I have to go to the doctor with breathing problems it is a struggle, but God always comforts me. I know that He is always with me. And I know that He loves me. And I know that God knows what is best for my life. He is my Good Shepherd and He gave His life for me. "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) A shepherd can use a rod to protect the sheep from enemies. And he can use the staff to gently pull the sheep out of danger. This year may have been a hard one for you, but this year is coming to a close. Just as each new day brings a new beginning, look to the Lord for comfort and protection for the New Year. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!
13. When The Fig Tree Does Not Blossom
I was talking with a friend at church who told me that she did not get any beans, or squash, or tomatoes from her garden last summer. I told her that my garden did not do well either. I had a few vegetables to eat, but none to put up for winter, and not much to share. We were both saying that we didn't know if we would plant a garden next spring. I enjoy working in my garden, but it is hard when the weather is too dry, and the sun is too hot, and the bugs and squirrels have their fill. But, you know what? I am still going to praise my Lord! I am sorry that I complain. God has been so good to me! He saved me, and supplies all my needs, and blesses me with so much more! Yes, I enjoy it when my garden is fruitful and comes in with enough to share, but God is still good even when it doesn't produce well. And although I say that I might not plant a garden next spring, I probably will. And I will thank Him for each fresh tomato I pick from the vine, no matter how small.
"17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places." (Habakkuk 3:17-19)
14. Abide In The Vine
After I got off the medication that I had been on for several years I got up one morning and my eyes were much clearer than they had been. I was standing outside and I saw the individual trees that were in the woods. There is an old saying, "You can't see the forest for the trees." But, I could not see the trees for the forest. This little devotional series on "A Little Green Tree" was somewhat of a surprise to me, and a blessing because I feel like God showed me the trees in the forest. We often want to see the whole picture, but sometimes God may want us to focus on today, and live in the now. Our last point for this theme is about abiding in the vine. An important point that we need to see is that we are nothing without Christ. We must abide in Him!
"1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." John 15:1-8)
