Intro:
When Jesus was here on earth, He regularly finds time to retreat from his labors and go to the fields. “His hours of happiness were found when alone with nature and with God… The early morning often found Him in some secluded place, meditating, searching the Scriptures, or in prayer.” (DA39) If we but follow Jesus’ example and experience for ourselves, what object lessons and treasures He wants to teach!
LESSON #1: TREES AND CHAFF
Close to my apartment is a stream, rich in fauna and flora, including a rich foliage among trees. This place is my favorite study spot because of the shade provided by the trees, a refreshing find here at South Carolina (if you know what I mean). Whenever I pass this stream on my walks, one of my favorite Bible verses always comes to mind, “He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water, his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:3
Not far from the trees is the campus lawn, trimmed every few weeks, bringing forth chaff. Again, it brings me back to the following verse: “The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.” Psalm 1:4
To which I then ask myself, “Am I a tree, or a chaff?”
LESSON #2: PLANTED BY THE RIVERS OF WATER
Water brings life. Water sustains life. It nourishes and revitalizes. A well-watered tree brings forth fruit in its season. Imagine taking the weeping willow and planting it in the desert. Suppose it will survive? Imagine a Christian who leaves the streams of Living Water to be planted in the desert of sin. Will he eventually cry out for water, because of natural thirst?
John speaks to us about the water that only Christ can offer. “The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) Only by drinking this water will our thirsts be quenched.
To which the promise to every believing soul is found in Isaiah 44:3, “For I will pour water on the the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”
*Thank you for reading. Now, I’m off to the kitchen to get me some water.
A Creative Life 