People As Trees

It is reported in the first Psalm that they which find their joy and delight in obeying God's word would be like trees planted by rivers. They bring forth fruit at the right time and their leaves do not wither. Jesus said that a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. I'm all for being proactive in our walk with Christ. It's a wonderful thing to promote the rewards of our obedience. John 15:16 even tells us the fruit we bear will endure. There are things that Christ develops through us that will out live us. When I think about my parents, there is no doubt in my mind that is a true statement.

I know nobody wants to touch anything negative these days; but there are another group of trees in the Bible which illustrate the lives of people. The poor tree which bears evil fruit. It is not our titles that define us. It is not the position we hold. It is not even the reputation we have. It is our lifestyle production that defines who we are. It is not what we say. It is what we practice. We cannot practice sinful behavior and call ourselves good trees. This is extremely important for our eternal destiny is tied to the fruit we bear; not to the talk we declare. Jesus says any tree, that includes false prophets, that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire. Take an honest look at the fruit your life is bearing. It shows who you are in truth. Work it out!

Travelers Addendum

I sure don't want anyone to think that there is something joyous in discussing the topic of hell. I don't like thinking about it either. God is good, generous and loving beyond compare. He has no desire to see anyone go to hell; yet He forces none to go to heaven. He has given us the choice to be with Him, or to reject Him. Ignoring hell, as painful as it is to talk about, will not make it go away. God has done everything necessary to provide for us an escape from that horrible place. Jesus died as our substitute. He received the punishment that we deserved. He has offered us eternal life. He has warned us of the wrath to come. All we need to do is choose to get on the right road. We cannot transfer our discomfort concerning hell to making God mean and hateful. We can go to heaven. He wants us to go to heaven. He has prepared the way for us to get there, but it's not automatic. Choose eternal life by choosing Christ. Work it out!

Traveling

Jesus constantly used illustrations that are easy for us to grasp. He spoke of life itself in terms of a major trip. He advised us to "Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it." (Matthew 7:13,14 GNB) When we take a look at our lives and we are traveling the road that is crowded, we need to do something to change our course. If the path that we have chosen is easy, than we are again likely to be heading in a direction we really don't want to go. If the entrance to the road is so broad that is does not challenge us at all, the road connected to that entrance is not good. The broad, unrestricted, crowded road of ease is the road to hell. It's disturbing that in our day many roads prescribed by our churches meet the qualifications of a destructive journey. Don't take comfort in a church affiliation. Examine your own life to see if you are traveling on a road that has a tightly restricted entrance, followed by a path that is lonely and narrow. To put it simply, the road to life is receiving Jesus Christ and following everywhere He leads. We don't even hear much about heaven and hell anymore. Jesus Christ talked about it often. We are all going to heaven, or to hell. The road we are traveling now is leading to one of those two eternal places. It takes more than just dying to go to heaven. It takes traveling on the narrow road while we live. Are you on the right road? Work it out!

The Golden Rule

One of the most familiar things that was ever introduced to us from the lips of Jesus is "The Golden Rule." He said "Do for others what you want them to do for you: this is the meaning of the Law of Moses and of the teachings of the prophets." The logic of this as a social ethic is flawless. Every environment we move in and out of would be better if this directive were followed. The simple neglect that we experience in relationships is what has this world steeped in misery. Too many of us are fixated on what we can get rather than what we can give. The self centered, egotistical, me first ideal is choking every ounce of decency from our society. You and I may not be able to change the whole world, but we can certainly change our little world of personal relationships. Think of all the things that you want most from others and then instead of waiting for those things to come, give those things away to others. Treat them the way you want to be treated without any concern for the results. Work it out!