Lessons From The Life of a Tree

Lessons From The Life of a Tree

As I sat in our bedroom yesterday just talking to God and thinking about the beauty He’s surrounded us with, my eyes fell on our chest of drawers. They’re made out of reclaimed scaffold planks and there’s so much beauty in them. 

Once those trees stood tall and proud proclaiming their Creator’s glory to an often blind world. 

Yes some may have seen beauty but did they see how that tree declared the glory of God?

Weary souls rested under their shade but did they also rest in Jesus?

Those trees felt the blast of the wind, soaked up the warmth of the sunshine and drank in the rain.

Birds nested in their branches and squirrels leaped from branch to branch.

Those trees shed their seed and from them other trees may have grown.

Each line on those planks tell of another year of life gone by as that tree stood tall and glorified its Maker.

Then sadly the time came for it to be cut down. As the saw bit through that trunk it fell to the ground.

For these trees the decision was made to mill them into planks unlike other trees that were chopped up for firewood.

Those planks were then sold to a scaffolder and for many years they were used by builders as they laboured in sunshine, wind and rain.

The dings, scuffs, nail holes and paint on those boards each have a story to tell and in their rustic beauty still proclaim their Creator’s praise.  

Many feet walked over them, many people walked under them.  They witnessed laughter and sorrow, kind and unkind words as they continued to be useful to man but did any see the glory of God in their rugged beauty?

Then the time came that they were too worn out to continue to be used as scaffold planks so they were sold to be sanded down by my husband, each stroke of that sander bringing out a little more beauty. Then they were carefully crafted by a carpenter into a chest of drawers.

And there they sit in our bedroom still proclaiming the glory of the God who made them, still fulfilling their ultimate purpose, to glorify God.

We were created for the same. We each have a purpose here on earth, a purpose as sons and daughters, as siblings,  parents or friends. We have a purpose in our work whether that be at home or in our jobs. But like those trees our ultimate purpose is to glorify God and for our lives to show Him to others.

And what about when one day we are cut down by the hand of death? 

Will our lives go on glorifying God?  Will there be those seeds that have been sown by our lives, that take root and grow into new trees to declare God’s glory?

Will we spend an eternity in heaven in delight and wonder at the beauty of our Lord and Saviour, praising and glorifying Him?

Or will we be burnt in the fires of hell? 

It can only be one of the two.

Ah dear soul, you have sinned against a holy God and one little lie, one lustful look, one covetous glance is enough to condemn you to an eternity in hell, for you have sinned against a holy God. Outside of Christ we are all enemies to Christ.

But God…

But God in His great mercy and love holds back the wrath that should have instantly thrown you in those fires of hell and pleads with you to come and find forgiveness and redemption through Jesus Christ. 

His love and glory are evident to you in all of creation, in those trees, in each new day, in each breath He gives, even in a plank of wood!  This leaves us with no excuse for not believing. ‘For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:’

‘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.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’

He ‘came not to call the righteous (or those that think they are), but sinners to repentance.’

‘‘God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’

Jesus came and lived a perfect life so that He could bear the punishment due to us.

‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’

When God convicts us of sin He also draws us to Him by the power of the Holy Sprit.

‘No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:’

Have you been convicted of sin? 

Do you feel drawn to Christ although your natural man may be fighting against it? 

Will you look to Him in faith sinner? 

Will you believe in Him? 

He suffered incredible agony and all the wrath of a holy God due to you for your sin, on that cross, so that you might be saved. 

The day is coming when you will be cut down, will we live on spending an eternity glorifying God or will spend an eternity in the fires of hell?

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Rom 1:20, John 3:16-17 Rom 5:8, 2 Cor 5:21, Luke 5:32, John 6:44

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