Who is Jane's Tree Seed of Life ... Well, let me tell you.
Psalm 1: 3 Whatsoever I do shall prosper for I am like a tree planted by rivers of water.
It is about what I enjoy doing the most in life with WRITNG; JOURNALING; SHARING; and sharing about the pictures/stories/seeds of my own TREE OF LIFE from God.
It is about what I enjoy doing the most in life with WRITNG; JOURNALING; SHARING; and sharing about the pictures/stories/seeds of my own TREE OF LIFE from God.
Please take time to watch this CUTE ANIMATION VIDEO posted just below this... as it is so true for LIFE itself and it applies to my own life. Also read below my writing of MY PERSONAL JOURNAL WRITINGS OF SEEDS OF LIVING LIFE: as I went from an unseen seed buried beneath the earth and now I am a tall GIGANTIC OAK TREE next to GOD's RIVER OF MERCY... Me, Janestree
Walking in freedom because of JESUS... as He allowed me to write in my JOURNAL and I found myself in HIM
Today I am healed of this and I walk in freedom but it took time and an effort of placing one small step in front of the other and NEVER giving up and NEVER giving in... although I often wanted to - I did not give in or give up as I chose not to be a VICTIM and walk in being a VICTIM but I chose to walk forward - no matter how long it took - I was going to WALK FORWARD and someday gain VICTORY...
Today I look back and I see the FULLNESS of who I am today - Complete in JESUS CHRIST... My identity is no longer 'who I was' or going through thing in 'my own strength', for I had actually collapsed and had no strength to hardly move forward but I did... and today I AM A FULL GROWN TREE planted next to GOD'S RIVER OF MERCY and I am so happy to be LIVING TODAY....
Imagine a small tiny seed that has blown in the wind... and this small tiny seed falls into the ground... This small tiny seed is not seen by anyone as the feet of people rush by it and push it further into the ground. The dirt of this earth covers that tiny small seed... and that dirt becomes great darkness of depression that covers that seed. Hidden beneath. I am that SEED covered in the heaviness and darkness of this dirt.. No one takes notice of me and no one understands or sees my pain.
THE LEGEND OF THE TREES (Christian Animation Movie)
(Janestree Writing originally was written in my journal in November 2005)
That small tiny seed of Jane, finally dies buried beneath the heaviness and darkness of the dirt that covers it... I lay there with no movement.
But then WARMTH OF LOVE reaches down below and that WARMTH OF LOVE beats down to me as this dead seed that is covered in darkness... This is the SUN's warmth of LOVE beating down upon me - and this becomes the SON (JESUS) and HIS LOVE for me that beats down upon me and strokes me with HIS LOVE... until one day a new sprout of green pushes through this seed and it pushes and pushes and pushes until it reaches the surface and it pushes upward as JANE tries to reach up and push up to THIS WARMTH OF LOVE...
God's Word is written: 2 Corinthians 12:9 Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
God's word is is written in:
2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV) That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(NLT) That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
I am finding strength in this weakness because of HIS LOVE shining down upon me. So then I push and push upward and forward... these small tiny sprouts of life then start forming into a 'TREE'...
But this tree is small and the WINDS and STORMS come through and I bend back and forth - thinking I am going to break from these STORMS OF LIFE... but it is through these STORMS OF LIFE that my roots are digging in deeper into HIS LOVE AND HIS MERCY...
Ephesians 3:17 is written: (NIV) so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
(NLT) Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.
The STORMS OF LIFE come... my branches are whipped back and forth in these winds... but I do not break - for in this weakness my roots are digging inward and going deeper in tapping into GOD'S RIVER OF MERCY.... For in HIM - I am being made STRONGER...
One day as I, Janestree, is sitting there enjoying HIS LOVE AND HIS WARMTH, and the bright blue sky, a little sparrow bird, decides to build a nest and make her a family in my own branches as I hold her and become useful for her too... God is using me for helping others... This small little sparrow enjoys the strength of my own branches...
Here I am today, a huge gigantic OAK TREE that is nestled right next to the MERCY RIVER OF GOD, and this River flows directly to the throne room of GOD - so I am connected daily finding my strength in HIM and HIS WORD... and God is now using me in bringing shade to others and even being a 'home' for others such as this little sparrow nestled in the safety of my love as I hold this small sparrow in helping her... Me... Janestree....
Weakness that now has turned into GREAT STRENGTH - all started from DYING TO SELF and becoming ALIVE IN HIM.... and taking one small step forward.
JANESTREE - ME -
Jane and HIS TREE of LIFE for HIM...
God's word is written:
Psalm 46:4 (NIV) There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
(NLT) A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High.
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
(NLT) So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
I am truly here for you... but don't place your trust in me as a human being but learn to place your TRUST in GOD and HIS WORD as you will NEVER \go wrong in this with life...
As a human being, we are all made of the same ingredient - CLAY and we can easily be broken... but HE is my source for all things in life... CLAY will disappoint me, CLAY will at times even hurt me and I then become broken... but HE will protect me... as I place my TRUST IN GOD and not CLAY.
Please listen to this video and allow the words to reach down deep into you...
I love you friend.... Take one small step forward today and lean on me if you need someone alongside in your weakness so you gain healing to strength...
I am here for you....
Scriptures on God's Mercy:
2 Samuel 24:14 And David said to Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.
Psalms 86:5 For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy to all them that call on you.
Psalms 145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Luke 6:36 Be you therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us,
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
JESUS IS LORDWe all began as a tiny small seed,not even seen by the natural eye... and when we began to be formed into the person we are TODAY as a human being, we ALL started as this small tiny seed.
The first part of ME AND YOU that this small tiny seed formed in our mother's womb was a small beating heart (about the size of a quarter)... This small BEATING HEART is the same BEATING HEART that beats inside of me as a human being in full life TODAY....
We all are born with our own personal fingerprints (not one is alike).
We all are born with our own personal fingerprints (not one is alike).Allow me to share JANE's STORY OF MY OWN JANE'S TREE and how I, Jane, started as a small tiny seed with a small tiny beating heart and became who I AM today in God as a fully grown woman of God that has become a TALL STRONG TREE as a Cedar of Lebanon....
Some of us are strong OAK trees, some of us are OLIVE TREES, some of us are the colors of the Maple Trees... but we ALL began as a small tiny seed that died and then through WEAKNESS on our own but in God's Mighty Strength we became a fully ALIVE TREE in Him....
As you read this story I have written to introduce you to me, Jane's Tree, imagine a small tiny SEED... planted deep beneath the earth's dirt. Held in darkness and coldness of this earth... A seed, only a small seed. A seed with no power or gain... A seed that is not even noticed as people walk over where Jane's seed was planted beneath the cold dark earth.... A seed covered completely by coldness, darkness, and heaviness - as the earth covers me as a hidden seed....
Psalm 139: 1 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being in perfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. 19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. 20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. 21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
A SOWER of this seed, whom is called GOD - planted inside me as a person this SEED....A SEED without form, a SEED without substance, a SEED of nothingness, and a SEED of only weakness.... by the natural eye I am only a SEED without form or substance... But who is the real JANE inside this SEED that the SOWER planted....Matthew 13: 31Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. No person on this earth can even see me with their natural eyes as the heaviness, coldness, and darkness of this earth dirt covers me....My seed dies.... My seed lays dormant without form or without life.
Matthew 17: 20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.This small dead CHOSEN SEED of the SOWER buried beneath the heaviness, oldness, and darkness of the dirt covering it as it died is now being RESURRECTED INTO LIFE... as one small sprout of green growth of FAITH pushes through and soon following are other sprouts, more and more, as they push through the heaviness, coldness, and darkness of this WORLD covering this SEED that was planted by the SOWER....
Close your eyes, and imagine a small seed, covered up with heaviness, coldness, and darkness that at one time had o die in order to live LIFE and now through weakness as this weakness presses up forward to the warmth of the SON's LOVE surrounding my SEED OF LIFE....
I Corinthians 1: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strenth is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasurein infirmitie, in reproaches, n necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong. Soon as many sprouts are now resurrecting from this dead small seed with sprouts of NEW LIFE by the SOWER...
These sprouts press through this world's heaviness, coldness, and darkness to reach up to the everlasting (never ending) LOVE of His SONSHINE.... as His love reaches down to me buried beneath this earth....As they sprouts press through of NEW RESURRECTED LIFE - these small sprouts take on a newer form of LIFE and now become branches with newness of LIFE growing through the branches (leaves)...
The WINDS of LIFE come and this small little branch sticking out of this heavy, cold, dark ground of this world is bending back and forth as though it could BREAK from these winds... but these WINDS are only making this small little branch ROOTS even stronger as the ROOTS dig deeper into HIS LOVE...
The strong winds of life's challenges and the gentle whisper of Jesus' love. Elijah: On mount Horeb/Sinai. The mountain where Moses ascended to get the TABLETS/LAW, the written whisper of God's love for God's people. The place was Holy/Sacred. The Lord was not in the wind, but in the whisper, a tiny whisper. (God's stage-whisper: "I love you!") Elijah was awestruck. Jesus walks on the water in the midst of the strong wind, whispering to his disciples in a stage-whisper. Jesus speaks/ whispers, "Take courage, it is I; don't be afraid." Psalm 135:7 He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries. Romans 8: 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 3: 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages,world without end. Amen. As my branch's roots grow deeper from the WINDS/CONFLICTS/TRIALS of life... I do no break but in my weakness I become stronger in Him. Soon one day after many changes throughout the years of persevering through the WINDS/CONFLICTS/TRIALS of life... this small ordinary seed that DIED buried beneath the heaviness/coldness/darkness of this world, through eakness took on a new form of strength in HIM... and even became more stronger through the WINDS/CONFLICTS/TRIALS of this world as I persevered moving forward one step at a time... (Working out my salvation in Him).... I now have become a fully grown TREE from this tiny unseen buried seed... Next to HIS RIVER OF MERCY...
A strong CEDAR tree of Lebanon...
A seed planted by the SOWER OF LIFE....Me, Jane,this is JANES TREE...
A seed planted by the SOWER OF LIFE....Me, Jane,this is JANES TREE...
Psalm 1: 3
Whatsoever I do shall prosper for I am like a tree planted by rivers of water.
How I sign everything:
I am a SEED in God's Hands for HIM to plan where He desires for me to grow.
A seed buried beneath the heaviness of this earth, pushing forward upward to God, and someday will be a beautiful strong tree.....
Psalm 1: 3 Whatsoever I do shall prosper for I am like a tree planted by rivers of water.
2 Corinthians 12: 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Janestree
Continue reading below of Bible Story I wrote:
BIBLE LESSON ON MY STORY:
In 2011, Joplin Missouri USA a devastating windstorm / tornado wreaked havoc in this town. Roofs were blown off houses, telephone and utility poles came down, and live electrical wires crackled and snapped on the sidewalks. Trees were uprooted and overturned, many of them falling across streets, blocking traffic; others crashed through car roofs and windows or smashed through housetops. Even the pavement was cracked and torn up by the roots of these trees as they were felled by the wind.
As pictures of this area have reflected through the neighborhoods and pictures of so many trees lying about, totally ripped out of the earth, I mused on the function of their roots, now exposed to view. Some of the familiar verses and parables of Scripture came alive and took on clearer meaning to me as I pondered the sights of the storm's aftermath. Both the Old and New Testaments draw on images of the plant world to describe God's people and teach us valuable lessons about our spiritual condition.
Nature surrounds us; its images are familiar to us and can aptly communicate spiritual truths to us because we understand them so well. The prophet Jeremiah expressed one of the most beautiful analogies in the Old Testament, comparing the faith-filled person with a strong, flourishing tree: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside waters, that stretches out its roots to the stream. It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green. In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit" (Jer. 17:7-9).
It is worth a closer look at the purpose and function of the root system of a tree to see the full significance of Jeremiah's analogy. The root system serves to guarantee the existence of the whole tree. Without roots, a tree simply could not even survive. One of the roots' functions is to anchor the tree in the soil, providing stability and a firm base for the entire structure of the trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit. For example, the root system of a maple tree, primarily hidden underground, is often as extensive and broad as the crown of the tree, and its longest roots may reach as deep in the earth as the tree is tall. Another purpose of the r/ots is to take up water and minerals from the soil, synthesizing food and growth regulators that are transmitted through the woody portions of the roots to the trunk.
The thicker, more substantial roots are actually covered with thousands of finer roots and root hairs which increase the absorbing surface of the main roots and come in contact with a tremendous volume of soil and nutrients. As much as 30 feet of root fibers have been found in one inch of soil when examined with a microscope! In order to take up water and minerals, the roots penetrate into the soil, seeking the best conditions.
In temperate climates, roots are found closer to the surface of the ground, but in drier, arid areas, roots penetrate to a much deeper level, seeking moisture. Some desert shrubs have roots that extend downwards in the earth as deeply as 230 feet!
A final task of the root system is to store food for later use in the growth of the tree's trunk, branches, and foliage. In the climate of Palestine, tree and plant life are often threatened by heat and drought. When we realize this, we can better appreciate the beauty and spiritual reality of Jeremiah's analogy of a man's trust in the Lord being like a tree whose roots sustain it in adverse conditions: "It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green. In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit."
In the last chapter of the book of Hosea, the prophet repeats the image of Israel as a fruitful plant or tree watered and sustained by his relationship with the Lord: "I will be like the dew of Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; he shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots. His splendour shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain. They shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon... Because of me you bear fruit!" (Hos. 14:6-8).
Another image drawn from the plant world is that of a tree that has been cut down, but whose roots survive to send up a new shoot that can grow into a tree again. This image is applied to the coming Messiah. Isaiah prophesied, "A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.... On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious. On that day the Lord shall again take it in hand to reclaim the remnant of his people" (Isa. 11:1, 10-11).
Jeremiah also foretold: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David. As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land" (Jer. 23:5).
A final look at an Old Testament image of nature drawn by the author of the book of Job leaves us with profound spiritual hope when we consider our own repeated sins and failures to live a holy life: "For a tree there is hope, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again and that its tender shoots will not cease. Even though its roots grow old in the earth and its stump die in the dust, yet at the first whiff of water it may flourish again and put forth branches like a young plant" (Job 14:7-9).
I remember once coming across the heartening sight of a dry, old stump of a tree that had been chopped down, out of which down close to the roots, small, new branches were sprouting, bearing tender, fresh green leaves!
The New Testament expands on these images. Jesus knew the value of using parables from nature for his listeners. He often spoke about the organic cycle of life, fruit-bearing, and death to illustrate the truths of the life of the spirit. Perhaps the best-known example is the parable of the sower and the seed. Once again we see the importance of our connection with the Lord himself-how we need to be rooted securely in him to sustain life and bear fruit: "Some of the seed landed on rocky ground where it had little soil; it sprouted immediately because the soil had no depth. Then, when the sun rose and scorched it, it began to wither for lack of roots" (Mark 4:5-6).
These seeds put down roots, and the roots struggled to find anchorage, but the soil was rocky.
Finally the plant withered and died, because the roots and no source of water and nutrients. As Jesus explained, "Those sown on rocky ground are people who on listening to the word accept it joyfully at the outset. Being rootless, they last only a while. When some pressure or persecution akes them because of the word, they falter" (Mark 4:16-17).
Thus we see how important it is that we strike root deep in the Lord, being anchored firmly in faith, and sustained by our fellowship with him.
Jesus also spoke another word-both of warning and of hope-in this parable recorded by Luke: "A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he came out looking for fruit on it but did not find any. He said to the vine-dresser, 'Look here! For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree and found none. Cut it down. Why should it clutter up the ground?' In answer the man said, 'Sir, leave it another year, while I hoe around it and manure it. Then perhaps it will bear fruit. If not, it shall be cut down'" (Luke 13:6-9).
Mercifully, Jesus offers us the opportunity to grow and amend our ways. The parable challenges us to examine our own lives and relationship with the Lord, our responsiveness to him, and our use of the talents he has given us.
We should ask ourselves what Jesus would find in our lives if he were to come seeking fruit. Do I produce healthy growth through abiding in Jesus, or is my spiritual life withering because I am not rooted in him? Am I putting his gifts to use for others, or are they failing to blossom? Perhaps I am producing all leafy show, pretty foliage that pleases the eye, but has no fruit.
Jesus spoke of this reality in greater depth on the last evening of his life as he instructed the disciples: "Live on in me, as I do in you. No more than a branch can bear fruit of itself apart from the vine, can you bear fruit apart from me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who lives in me, and I in him, will produce abundantly, for apart from me you can do nothing. A man who does not live in me is like a withered, rejected branch, picked up to be thrown in the fire and burned. If you live in me and my words stay part of you, you may ask what you will: it will be done for you" (John 15:4-7).
I am a SEED in God's Hands for HIM to plan where He desires for me to grow.
A seed buried beneath the heaviness of this earth, pushing forward upward to God, and someday will be a beautiful strong tree.....
Psalm 1: 3 Whatsoever I do shall prosper for I am like a tree planted by rivers of water.
2 Corinthians 12: 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Janestree
Continue reading below of Bible Story I wrote:
BIBLE LESSON ON MY STORY:
In 2011, Joplin Missouri USA a devastating windstorm / tornado wreaked havoc in this town. Roofs were blown off houses, telephone and utility poles came down, and live electrical wires crackled and snapped on the sidewalks. Trees were uprooted and overturned, many of them falling across streets, blocking traffic; others crashed through car roofs and windows or smashed through housetops. Even the pavement was cracked and torn up by the roots of these trees as they were felled by the wind.
As pictures of this area have reflected through the neighborhoods and pictures of so many trees lying about, totally ripped out of the earth, I mused on the function of their roots, now exposed to view. Some of the familiar verses and parables of Scripture came alive and took on clearer meaning to me as I pondered the sights of the storm's aftermath. Both the Old and New Testaments draw on images of the plant world to describe God's people and teach us valuable lessons about our spiritual condition.
Nature surrounds us; its images are familiar to us and can aptly communicate spiritual truths to us because we understand them so well. The prophet Jeremiah expressed one of the most beautiful analogies in the Old Testament, comparing the faith-filled person with a strong, flourishing tree: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside waters, that stretches out its roots to the stream. It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green. In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit" (Jer. 17:7-9).
It is worth a closer look at the purpose and function of the root system of a tree to see the full significance of Jeremiah's analogy. The root system serves to guarantee the existence of the whole tree. Without roots, a tree simply could not even survive. One of the roots' functions is to anchor the tree in the soil, providing stability and a firm base for the entire structure of the trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit. For example, the root system of a maple tree, primarily hidden underground, is often as extensive and broad as the crown of the tree, and its longest roots may reach as deep in the earth as the tree is tall. Another purpose of the r/ots is to take up water and minerals from the soil, synthesizing food and growth regulators that are transmitted through the woody portions of the roots to the trunk.
The thicker, more substantial roots are actually covered with thousands of finer roots and root hairs which increase the absorbing surface of the main roots and come in contact with a tremendous volume of soil and nutrients. As much as 30 feet of root fibers have been found in one inch of soil when examined with a microscope! In order to take up water and minerals, the roots penetrate into the soil, seeking the best conditions.
In temperate climates, roots are found closer to the surface of the ground, but in drier, arid areas, roots penetrate to a much deeper level, seeking moisture. Some desert shrubs have roots that extend downwards in the earth as deeply as 230 feet!
A final task of the root system is to store food for later use in the growth of the tree's trunk, branches, and foliage. In the climate of Palestine, tree and plant life are often threatened by heat and drought. When we realize this, we can better appreciate the beauty and spiritual reality of Jeremiah's analogy of a man's trust in the Lord being like a tree whose roots sustain it in adverse conditions: "It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green. In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit."
In the last chapter of the book of Hosea, the prophet repeats the image of Israel as a fruitful plant or tree watered and sustained by his relationship with the Lord: "I will be like the dew of Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; he shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots. His splendour shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain. They shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon... Because of me you bear fruit!" (Hos. 14:6-8).
Another image drawn from the plant world is that of a tree that has been cut down, but whose roots survive to send up a new shoot that can grow into a tree again. This image is applied to the coming Messiah. Isaiah prophesied, "A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.... On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious. On that day the Lord shall again take it in hand to reclaim the remnant of his people" (Isa. 11:1, 10-11).
Jeremiah also foretold: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David. As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land" (Jer. 23:5).
A final look at an Old Testament image of nature drawn by the author of the book of Job leaves us with profound spiritual hope when we consider our own repeated sins and failures to live a holy life: "For a tree there is hope, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again and that its tender shoots will not cease. Even though its roots grow old in the earth and its stump die in the dust, yet at the first whiff of water it may flourish again and put forth branches like a young plant" (Job 14:7-9).
I remember once coming across the heartening sight of a dry, old stump of a tree that had been chopped down, out of which down close to the roots, small, new branches were sprouting, bearing tender, fresh green leaves!
The New Testament expands on these images. Jesus knew the value of using parables from nature for his listeners. He often spoke about the organic cycle of life, fruit-bearing, and death to illustrate the truths of the life of the spirit. Perhaps the best-known example is the parable of the sower and the seed. Once again we see the importance of our connection with the Lord himself-how we need to be rooted securely in him to sustain life and bear fruit: "Some of the seed landed on rocky ground where it had little soil; it sprouted immediately because the soil had no depth. Then, when the sun rose and scorched it, it began to wither for lack of roots" (Mark 4:5-6).
These seeds put down roots, and the roots struggled to find anchorage, but the soil was rocky.
Finally the plant withered and died, because the roots and no source of water and nutrients. As Jesus explained, "Those sown on rocky ground are people who on listening to the word accept it joyfully at the outset. Being rootless, they last only a while. When some pressure or persecution akes them because of the word, they falter" (Mark 4:16-17).
Thus we see how important it is that we strike root deep in the Lord, being anchored firmly in faith, and sustained by our fellowship with him.
Jesus also spoke another word-both of warning and of hope-in this parable recorded by Luke: "A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he came out looking for fruit on it but did not find any. He said to the vine-dresser, 'Look here! For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree and found none. Cut it down. Why should it clutter up the ground?' In answer the man said, 'Sir, leave it another year, while I hoe around it and manure it. Then perhaps it will bear fruit. If not, it shall be cut down'" (Luke 13:6-9).
Mercifully, Jesus offers us the opportunity to grow and amend our ways. The parable challenges us to examine our own lives and relationship with the Lord, our responsiveness to him, and our use of the talents he has given us.
We should ask ourselves what Jesus would find in our lives if he were to come seeking fruit. Do I produce healthy growth through abiding in Jesus, or is my spiritual life withering because I am not rooted in him? Am I putting his gifts to use for others, or are they failing to blossom? Perhaps I am producing all leafy show, pretty foliage that pleases the eye, but has no fruit.
Jesus spoke of this reality in greater depth on the last evening of his life as he instructed the disciples: "Live on in me, as I do in you. No more than a branch can bear fruit of itself apart from the vine, can you bear fruit apart from me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who lives in me, and I in him, will produce abundantly, for apart from me you can do nothing. A man who does not live in me is like a withered, rejected branch, picked up to be thrown in the fire and burned. If you live in me and my words stay part of you, you may ask what you will: it will be done for you" (John 15:4-7).
Finally, Paul used an analogy similar to those that Jesus frequently used. To the members of the church at Colossae he stressed the importance of living in union with Christ. In his choice of words Paul used the same Greek verb for "to be rooted" that is used throughout the gospels when Jesus spoke his parables about putting down roots in him: "As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving" (Col. 2:6-7). One of the most effective ways we can be rooted in Christ is to immerse ourselves in his word. When you read and study Scripture, remember that it is a lifeline with the Lord. You are striking your roots deeper and deeper into good life-giving soil and drinking from the living waters: "Happy the man who... delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his law day and night. He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, whose leaves never fade" (Psalm 1:1, 2-3).
TREE SONG with Ballet dance
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us, oh,
Oh, how He loves us,
How He loves us all
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us, oh,
Oh, how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about the way...
He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us...
Oh, how He loves us...
Oh, how He loves us.
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us, oh,
Oh, how He loves us,
How He loves us all
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us, oh,
Oh, how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about the way...
He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us...
Oh, how He loves us...
Oh, how He loves us.
(Janestree copyrighted and came about as of August 1996)
Jane, I'm glad that writing is an outlet for you, and you have made a good use of your life to illustrate the truths of scripture. May you be blessed by the time you put into these writings.
ReplyDelete