LIKE A TREE PLANTED BY THE WATER

 

                   

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water..

 Wetlands are protected by government because they play a unique role in the survival of many plant and animal species. Their environment sustains many important species that can only survive in that unique place.

 When I worked in land division and zoning for my area, I had to learn a lot about wetlands..I had to learn which types of trees grew in wetland swamps, for instance. 

Sometimes a wetland can actually appear dry and arid..but there are certain features that can be observed by the trained eye in order to determine whether or not a certain place could be considered a wetland swamp during a very dry season.

One of the things I learned was there are trees who "Like to have their feet wet." Trees like the white cedar which grows on our property.

Regardless of the current condition of the environment, the land is classified a certain way, and that does not change just because it looks different at the time. A wetland is still a wetland.

How does this example compare with the idea of what we are as Christians, our classification?

Maybe you are experiencing a dry spell in your walk with the Lord?

 

You yearn to "get your feet wet" once again!

You feel so thirsty for the Word of God that sustains and refreshes you daily, but you just can't seem to soak it in right now. 

You are affected by an unhealthy environment. You are rooted where you are and cannot do anything to change it..or can you? 

Where you are planted

You may not be able to change this. It may be you are rooted in a dry place right now. At one time it held the nourishing, life-giving water and you grew very strong in your faith, but now the water has evaporated into the earth and is long-gone...or is it?

Remember the classification of a wet-land is not dependent upon the current status of the environment, but on it's intended status or intended form and nature.

 If anyone is thirsty, let Him come to Me and drink He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37–38)

"From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water" 

You are thirsty ..The fountain of living water is JESUS! Who through the Holy Spirit resides in your INNERMOST BEING. He is the well that never runs dry.

 One of  the main restrictions about the wetland is not allowing someone to bring in a lot of material such as sand, or even some invasive plants and animals who will negatively affect the environment. If this is done it may result in the land being changed and made unhealthy, useless even.

     

Mark 4:19
but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

The cares and worries, desire for wealth, and even being distracted by "other things" is like allowing someone to come into your life and dump a lot of material into your river..stopping the flow and choking out the nourishment for your roots."Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.."

We must use discernment about who we listen to, who we follow after, and how we behave ourselves when we hear the Word of God..Do not sit among those who mock God!

 

 

 "But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night."

Instead, our attitude towards God's Holy Word should be one of delight! And it should be on our mind day and night! Then and ONLY then, will we be spiritually healthy once again, a tree planted by the water!

 Thank you for reading this. I pray it helped you in some way.

Blessings & Love

& remember, we are...

~NEVER FORSAKEN~ 

*All images posted on here are my own photos. I thank The Lord for allowing me to take and to use them for his glory, and not my own.

On Aging Gracefully




Daily I mourn the loss of my youth. Like the soil of a thousand years’ erosion revealing the jewel beneath, it falls from my frame and with it falls the scales from my blinded eyes allowing me to see clearly the essence of my soul. I accept it’s passing with a quiet dignity that comes with the knowledge that although I shall miss it, what I have left is even more precious now.
As we get older, our faces become paler, our bodies weaker, frailer. As we look down upon our weathered hands they somehow seem more tender and beautiful as we realize they are oft folded in prayer, or holding gently the hand of a loved one.
Yes I shed a tear and sighed away the remnants of despair, but deep inside I felt the peace that only comes to us upon the wings of hope, a promise whispered into the heart. Be still and know that you are being formed into the image of God.
For it is the soul that takes on a certain beauty as we grow older when we walk closer to Him.

There is a Japanese term called ‘Wabi-Sabi’ it means to find beauty in the ordinary things, especially in the natural world, things like a gnarled tree branch, or an ancient fossil, or perhaps the fallen petals from a flower floating upon the surface of a puddle.
But I wonder, will we see this beauty as we gaze into our mirror, or will we only see that stranger there who sort of resembles us, but maybe looks a little more each day like our mother or grandmother?