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Vol. 12 No. 7 July 2010 |
Page 14 |
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Vol. 12 No. 7 July 2010 |
Page 14 |
A Transplanted Tree
Mark McWhorter
In Bible times, it was not unusual to take a sapling from its place of growth and plant it in better ground. This would be close to a large source of water, usually a river or stream. Then small tributaries of water would be created from that river or stream. These small tributaries would run through a grouping of these planted trees. Taking these saplings from their original place of growth and planting them somewhere else is known as transplanting.
Psalm 1:3 reads, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” The word “planted” is actually the Hebrew word for “transplanted.” In addition, the word “rivers” is the word for the small tributaries that are created to water these transplants.
The person who delights in the law of the Lord is like the transplanted tree. The picture is that God takes that person and cares for him as He would a tender sapling. He plants the person in good ground (the proper soil of Scripture) and providentially creates water tributaries to give the person plenty of spiritual water. The person who keeps studying and reading the Scriptures will grow like that tree in good soil and with plenty of water. God will bless that individual.
I do not want to be a small sapling left in poor ground. I do not want to be a sapling left to the elements without enough water. I want to be cared for by God. I know you want that also. Study your Bible, and if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
David A. Sargent
A recent radio program carried the story of a man who was walking behind the campus of a nearby State College when, in the distance, he saw what looked like a huge “treasure chest” filled with gold and silver, shimmering in the sunlight. Upon closer inspection, however, he discovered that the “treasure” was actually a collection of “trophies” of every shape and size that had been piled high in a dumpster!
The college was simply repeating a ritual of clearing their shelves and cabinets of all the old trophies, plaques and awards received over the years in order to make room for the next generation of college students. As he gazed upon the glittering spectacle, he realized how these trophies in the dumpster might accurately represent all the worldly achievements, ideals and struggles of man such as fame, popularity, wealth and power. He could see their ultimate end – to be discarded eventually as “worthless” and then crushed and ground to dust!
Gleaning a lesson from a sporting event with application to living the Christian life, the apostle Paul wrote:
“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.They do it to get a crown that will not last;But we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Corinthians 9:25).The trophies of the world will not last (see 2 Peter 3:10), but Christ offers to us an “Imperishable Crown” – the crown of life (James 1:12). One day, each of us will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. On that day, all will recognize that the greatest accomplishment was what Jesus did for us on the cross: He died for our sins so that we might receive the crown of eternal life!
Jesus has promised to give the crown of life to those who: place their faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38) and live faithfully to Him for the rest of their lives (Revelation 2:10).
The glory of the crown made possible through the cross of Christ motivated George Bennard to pen the following words:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,Won’t you lay down your worldly, perishing trophies today and submit your life to the Savior so that you may on that day receive the “Imperishable Crown”?