The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we went to to a tree farm to cut down what we hoped would be a beautiful little tree for our house. We took it home and decorated it, thinking it lovely with all the cute ornaments and lights. We breathed deeply its wonderful pine scent and admired the new angel top we purchased for it.
We enjoyed that little tree for a total of 7 days. Then cringed as it began to.....change, the next 7 days.
Not sure if it wasn't cut right or what, but that tree became very dry and brittle. The branches were drooping and the ornaments were starting to slide off. It had a brown tint to it and if you barely touched a branch, all the needles dropped to the floor. We haven't turned the lights on for fear of a spark igniting it in flames. It didn't matter how much we watered that tree--it's life was gone. I marked its time of death around 9:30 this morning when I undecorated it and took it outside. The trail of needles left in its wake when I took it outside was enough to carpet-cover a forrest. I think Charlie Brown's Christmas tree was more beautiful than that one.
Later today, I will be looking for an artificial tree. I look forward to not having to clean up piles of needles everyday, and it will be much simpler to pull it from the garage every year and know that it's going to last a long time.
That dead tree made me think of life without being rooted to Jesus Christ. Many people go through life trying to hide their emptiness and pain with pretty decorations and bobbles that they think will satisfy, but all it does is cover up the deadness for a time and they are always left wanting more. So many are thirsty for love and acceptance, that they go out to search the world to find something, anything that will quench that thirst. All the while missing the hand of God that is reaching out for them to grab and take hold of.
Eventually, nothing will hide that deadness. Your pretty decorations will drop and fall because the weight of the world and all it demands from you will cause you to droop and sag. There are many out there whose lives are dry and brittle just like those needles. All it will take is one more problem, one more mistake, one more pressure from the world and they're gonna drop and break.
My prayer for those of you who are feeling dry and brittle; who've flatlined with no hope of anything shocking you back to life---is that this Christmas, you will reach out to the One who can take something dead and give it new life. Jesus is waiting to give you a long lasting life. He wants to quench your thirst with His love and mercy, grace and forgiveness. He will take you now--just as you are, deadness and all--and make you His. His is the love that forever satisfies. Won't you take His hand today? Won't you hand over your dead life and exchange it for the eternal one He has for you? I pray you do.
Here is a scripture that I hope you meditate on and savor for awhile. The Lord placed it on my heart this morning when I was asked Him to give me the scripture that would go along with this blog:
"As for you, you were dead in your transgression and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich and mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the Heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do the good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:1-10
I pray you all have a wonderful Christmas and experience and share the love of Jesus!
Love in Christ Jesus,
Alyssa
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Good one! It makes me think of two things, 1. Christ nourishes us with His word just as we nourish the tree, 2. When the nourishment is not there it means that Christ has not been introduced, so in order for Him to nourish He must use the watering tool called, "The Church." Thanks for sharing this insight from the Lord.
ReplyDeleteThat was a very good post dear one!! It reminded me of this scripture. Thanks for sharing :-)
ReplyDeleteJohn 15:1-8
The Vine and the Branches
1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesa so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. "