A Choice of Trees

TREES
A Poem by Joyce Kilmer. 1886–1918
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Gen 2:9  And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  KJV

Ever wondered why God put That tree into the garden, you know the one...Knowledge of Good and Evil (what kind of fruit is that?)?  I know that I have asked the question a time or two.  God planted a beautiful garden in Eden and rivers flowed into it to water the garden.  He provided all those beautiful trees and plants and told the man to take care of the garden and all that was in it.  The man was given one specific instruction (just one rule)...don't eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  One rule and a tree that appears to have no purpose and man (and woman) blew it.  Eyes were opened to their nakedness, communion with the Creator was lost and the couple was cast out into Eden's environment, the world of good and evil.

If the tree wasn't good for us, then why put it in the garden? Right?  Kind of like putting rat poison in the pantry and telling a child not to eat it.  Well, this weekend I was given insight into the situation.  A young minister brought this explanation.  God spoke the world and all that is in it into existence, with one exception...man.  Everything in the garden was designed to do a job, fulfill a purpose.  Man was created in the hands of the creator from the soil of Eden, filled by the breath of God and then placed into the garden.  Man was created with the power of thought, because he was made in the image of God, the Creator and with the power of thought comes the power to choose. 

Man was created for a higher purpose, communion with God by choice.  Trees lift their branches to the Creator as a matter of course, survival.   Animals act out of genetically coded instincts; but Man makes choices.  If God had not put the two trees, Life and Knowledge of Good and Evil, into the garden with the divine instruction 'don't eat of this one'; there would be no choice.  Without choice there would have been only duty not love.  God is Love and love is a choice not a duty.

Because man made a choice he met death, not just physical but spiritual death and was removed from the garden and from access to the other tree, the Tree of Life.  Because of his choice he lost that sweet communion with the Creator, the easy life of the garden and was sentenced to a life of striving for his survival.  But the Creator was never far from man waiting for him to make a better choice and out of His Love and Compassion brought about the Salvation of man through sacrifice... and then the final sacrifice.  What began in a garden with a tree, Knowledge of Good and Evil, ended above a garden on a tree (the Tree of Life) with the death of His son, Jesus.  God, became flesh and once again walked with His creation, drawing them into relationship as He made disciples.  When the time was at hand He gave Himself as the final sacrifice making it possible for us to once again choose to eat from the Tree of Life as we set aside our desire for the worldly.

Today we still have a choice.  Each of us has the power to choose the life we live, the god we follow and our eternal future.  Which tree will you choose to eat from - Knowledge of Good and Evil, worldly fare, or Tree of Life, sweet communion with the Creator and eternal life with Him?  I choose Life and that more abundantly in Him.

"O Lord God, let these words touch all who read them with a desire to know more of You, to walk in communion with You.  Keep me ever in the center of your Will that I may always choose Life.  I am flesh and blood already aware of Good and Evil, having experienced the world, but this I know that You are all I need.  Keep my heart soft and humble before you full of your Mercy and Goodness."

Another Day

Yesterday we had an awesome church service...but that was yesterday and it is over and gone unless, we have awesome church today. It isn't Sunday? There's no service today? Wrong, we don't have to be in the building to have awesome church. HE loves meeting us where we live...right there in our living room, den, or .... He will show up when and where we invite Him and where He is will be awesome church. 

We all enjoy 'awesome church' don't we?  But, Jesus wasn't really much into the whole 'church' thing.  His church was in the streets, out on the roadside or hillside or beach or ... You get the picture, right.  So let's share this awesome 'church' with all we meet.
God is just too good to keep to ourselves.

And in that vein let me share this:   This past weekend we attended the Connect Workshop at The Promise Center in Santa Rosa, California.  The  purpose of the workshop...to promote the VISION of God.  Emphasis was on the importance of making connections between the people in the church and the visitors to the  church.  The Word tells us that "without a vision the people perish" and statistics tell us that 'without making significant connections within the church' visitors will not stick around.

The 'great commission':
Matt 22:9    Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.' Matt 28:19  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

We are 'co-missioned'  not just to go and invite but to go and make disciples.  Making disciples is a process of time and as such requires that we make lasting connections with our visitors.  Go out and invite, become a real friend, teach by Word and deed and thus make disciples.

Planning for the Future or Emergency Planning

Thinking about the future…something best done when young

After you reach my age, thinking about the future should be referred to as emergency planning.  To be honest, when I was in my  20’s I was busy trying to make ends meet while rearing 3 children and going to university.  Finances were tight and there was always more month than money.  So thinking about the future was done with our heads buried in the sand (or the bills).  When we reached our 30’s we had teens, 3 of them, in the house and finances were still iffy.  We also tried to make up to our kids for the lack of money in their early years.  Both of us had grown up in low-to-middle income families with very frugal parents.  We had never travelled or took real vacations and wanted something different for our kids, so we spent rather than saved.  To be honest, I wasn’t too concerned about the future because I quite honestly did not expect to be here that long.  Both of my parents had passed away at age 60 from health related issues, and I figured I would probably be gone before retirement age arrived.  And beyond that reasoning, I fully expected the Lord to return long before I passed away.  Well, hello retirement…I have arrived at medicare age and the future looms before me.  Now it’s all about emergency plans because social security won’t be sufficient.  So, what to do? 

We are facilitating a small group study about breaking free from debt and when Pastor asked us to do the class I had to laugh.  Of all people to handle a class about finances…I would have never chosen us.  We are debt free at this point, but we have very little net worth.  We own no home and our investment income is minimal.  We will be dependent on God,  Social Security, and Medicare for our future.  The only sure thing about our future is God, the other two are seriously in doubt.

If you are reading this and you have not planned for the future begin now!  Find a way to put money into a retirement investment (preferably tax sheltered).  Set aside some part of your income each month in savings for emergencies along the way.  So, words of wisdom learned from a life lived on a shoe string and learning the hard way:   Invest in your future, teach your children to save and invest, and invest in the Kingdom of God.  Don’t think you have to keep up financial appearances in public; as much as possible live debt free.   Take time to plan for the future so that when you reach retirement age you don’t have to do emergency planning. 

God has been good to us and kept us through the years and I have no doubt that He will continue but looking into the future right now is not pleasant.  I cannot see what God has ahead for our provision and I wish that we had found a way to hang onto more of the money when we had it.  Reaching age (?) without a plan can contribute to worried dreams that keep you awake at night.

Ps 37:25   I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. KJV

Matt 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  KJV