Dark brown rough skin covers the delicate matters of the heart. Green fills its life, like the heart flows the body with blood. Orange, brown, and yellow signs of aging of another year like gray hairs to a senior citizen. Branches reaching out towards the heavens and yet holds the earth within its limbs. How deep the roots grow tapping into all the earth has to offer. No matter what the world has to offer it; it stands till its dying end. Whether it be rain, fire, or wind it adapts and overcomes by sometimes being strong or compromising but always standing firm.
Trees are beautiful during the spring and fall. During the spring it offers the freshness and newness of green leaves, which provide shelter for birds and little animals. Through out the fall the leaves change coloring the earth with splendor of golden age. Tall trees are rooted firmly into the ground. Winds blow allowing the trees to make music for our hearts.
Many branches are all supported by one trunk of a large tree, which bears much fruit of its labor. The trunk is the heart and the center of its life. Have you ever compared a tree to a human? In a tree there is "blood" or nourishment, which flows from the roots just as the blood circulates through the body. The trunk of the tree is the heart of a human. The many branches represent the many thoughts, which are produced. Some branches are broken as many thoughts are broken. The heart determines our views upon life and the views are our thoughts, which are rooted from the heart. What thoughts could be produced from the heart? "I choose not to believe in God." "I prayed and I am not what God made me to be". "I can't do anything right".
How one thinks must consider their thoughts carefully. Is one comparing themselves to others? Is the one that is thinking comparing themselves to God's word? When one compares themselves to others there is no truth in the heart of comparison. For God's word is truth. Consider: Luke 8:17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him." Luke 21:34 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.
1 Corinthians 1:25 for the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. What is this writer trying to convey to us? The only way I can explain it is by a poem I wrote: I remember where there were three saplings, which made resolutions of what they would be once they became a tall tree.
The first sapling reached as far as it could and prayed, " I want to be able to hold the greatest treasure upon the earth" and that's what I want to be.
The second sapling reached as far as it could and prayed, " I want to be a strong vessel to explore the waters while carrying an important King."
The third sapling reached as far as it could and prayed, " I want to be important, strong, and the tallest tree so all upon the world will know what I bring."
Days, months, and years came as it brought about its storms and sunny days, which weathered the trees in growing strong and tall. The moment came when three log men came into the forest bearing sharp saws and axes to make these three trees fall. The first log man said to the first tree, "your perfect", and cut the first tree while he said, " You are beautiful and I'll make you into a chest."
The second log man said to the second tree, "your perfect", and cut the second tree while he said, "You will be my vessel and will look the best."
The third log man said to the proud third tree, "you will do," and cut the third tree while he said no words to comfort the third tree. Days went by and the three log men went to work, as they all should be.
The first tree was made into a feed chest to nourish the animals in the stable. The second tree was made into a simple fishing vessel for that is all it was able.
The third tree was brought to the lumberyard and left to lie on the ground. Years past for these three trees and soon they forgot their resolutions which were so profound.
Stars shone one silent night while a young woman gave birth and her husband took the chest in the stable and filled it with hay and laid the newborn in the chest. Then the first tree said, "I was sadden at first but as time went on I forgot my purpose and now I'm holding the greatest treasure in the world and He is the best" Years went by and one day in the middle of the sea, a tiny vessel carrying thirteen men came upon a storm, which made the twelve fearful. The twelve men woke the sleeping man. He arose and said "Peace be still". The storm was silent and the third tree said, I am carrying the King of heaven and earth and thus I will be cheerful.
Four years passed and one Friday morning the third tree was awakened while her beams were crossed and drugged through the road. A man was nailed to her limbs and lifted high for the entire world to see. The earth shook and then third tree knew what glory that day was bestowed.
God answered the three prayers and blessed the three trees more than they could even envision. God provides and delivers with great precision. Remember, as the New Year approaches and we make resolutions. Think about what you have. Are you trying to compare yourself with others? Are you wanting more than what you have? Pray to God and allow God to make the changes in you. Sometimes our resolutions hinder us because when we do not carry them out then we are angry or upset because we failed by not carrying out our resolutions. Sometimes what we want takes time to become reality. Sometimes what we think is best for us God develops something even better in us. Therefore we have to be patient.
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. (Philippians 3:8-15)
Paul is a remarkable man. He set an example for us on how we can change and make the impossible become possible. He made an extraordinary change and made a great resolution by staying focused on Christ and not upon himself. The process of personal change and the making of new resolutions often has the focus on us trying to do the change instead of allowing Christ in making the change. Take a time, reflect in the past, and notice all the failures occurred when we tried to fix it ourselves. When we took the change upon ourselves to change, we failed.
Many of us look at Peter walking on the water as a failure because he lost focus upon what happened. He wasn't a failure! He was a success. Why? His faith made him a success because he took the first step of faith and began to walk upon the water! How many of us have exercised our faith?
How can we make this New Year's Resolution work? The process of change will have you to face the issues and pain you muster in your life. Then change your perception on changing and be involved. Notice how Paul made the change.
1. Make a resolution that is not based upon the past but the future. Count everything as a loss in your past. Get over your past. What is done is done. Get over the ill feelings of what has occurred. Don't harbor resentment. Learn to forgive those that have inflicted hurt and pain. Paul says," I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." (v.8)
2. Make your resolution not based solely on yourself. It is okay to make resolutions about you. However, making a resolution self centered and without faith based upon I and not including Christ is a self centered resolution. Paul says not having it of my own but it is through faith in Christ that allows us to change. God gives us the change as long as we have it by faith. Paul says, "and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. (v.9)
3. Make your resolution shared! Christ already knows what you have been through. Read what He has gone through. Share in the moments of His sufferings. When we come to Christ and turn our life over to Him, He makes things happen. It is a life changing process. It's a new life. A new light which brings you out of past failures into success of the future. Paul says, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (v10-11)
Paul illustrated three things:
A. He wanted to know Christ and that Christ's life gives power for daily living.
B. Paul knows when we change there is pain. It is the sharing of sufferings when we change our hearts.
C. Paul speaks about having Christ's will and not ours when he speaks about the resurrection.
When we share our resolution through Christ we become a different person by daily sacrificing our wills.
4. Make your resolution focused. Paul stayed focused on Christ and realized that he needed to forget the past and move toward what was ahead. The goal of a resolution is not to focus on what focusing on the past, can't do, but what can be done by realizing the potential of the prize that awaits us. Paul says, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (v.12-14) Yesterday's failures emerge larger in our minds. We allow yesterday's failures to dictate tomorrow's results. Just because we failed yesterday doesn't mean we'll fail today. The decisions I make today are what count.
5. Make your resolution a mature one. Prayer is a very important factor. Maturity realizes prayer has to be made first then the resolution can be made. Thru prayer, God will make it clear in your life on how to change and make your resolution happen. Paul says, "All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. (v.15)
This New Year could be a time for change. If you are that little sapling and wanting to branch into something wonderful, just remember allow God to mold you and stay focused on Him. He will lead you and make you better than what you can dream possible. If you truly think about it…… He already has…….. He has called us to be a child of His…… .Are you listening? …… You can be a child of God…. .What greater gift of change you can redeem
