After a windy day, we had a large rotten limb to fall in our yard. My wife mentioned that we might burn it in the wood stove and make use of it. I agreed. With the first attempt of using the rotten wood, I noticed it didn’t seem to catch on very good. We nursed it and nursed it, trying to get it to burn freely. We just couldn’t get a hot fire going. Finally, I put some kindling and good solid wood in with it, and got it burning pretty decently. Then I noticed that even with the good wood burning, the rotten wood didn’t readily burn. Once there was a hot bed of coals by burning the good wood, then you could put the rotten stuff on it and get it burned up, but it was like it was being forced to burn. The Bible refers to people as trees. Those who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord are called “trees of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:3). These are those who have been born again by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ and by total surrender to Him. We are born again when we understand Jesus’ completed work, and we come to Him, and call upon Him, and by faith we exchange our life for His righteous life. This is what supernaturally births us into His kingdom. When our trust is in His sacrifice for us instead of trusting in our own goodness and righteousness, we become a new, living tree. This tree can be used for God’s full purpose. This tree has its roots in the river of life. This tree bears fruits of righteousness to the glory of God. This tree will live forever, solely because of Jesus. It is impossible for us, in our own selves, to change ourselves from dead wood to a living tree. But God is a miracle-working God. God is faithful to His Word. When we believe His Word that tells the good news of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf, and we confess Jesus as Lord, God infuses His life in our dead spirit man. The life of God comes into us! We are changed! We are made new! When we then act on that Word by confession and water baptism, we identify before men and God that we are God’s child by the sacrifice and name of Jesus Christ. By water baptism we are confessing that we are supernaturally dead and resurrected with Jesus Christ into new, eternal life. This tree can be filled with the Spirit, joy, and power of God. This tree doesn’t have to be coerced to burn. This tree is easily ignited by the fire of the Spirit and the things of God. This tree burns for Jesus. What we could not do for ourselves, God did for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s get excited for what He’s done, is doing, and going to do in our lives!
A New Tree
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