"Tree Of Life"

"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river,

was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and

yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree

were for the healing of the nations."

(Revelation 22:2)

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life,

 which is in the paradise of God."

(Revelation 2:7)

The Glory of what awaits the child of God is amazing and astounding!  The key word, though is "overcomes."  As the song says, "Nobody told me that the road would be easy; I don't believe He brought me this far to leave me."  Ah, the road  ...  it's the road, the earthly sojourn, the trial of the believer, the tribulation for the saint, the tests of faith, the growth of the saved-up seed, the path of the righteous, the time on the wheel, the wandering in the desert, the waiting by the brook, and the trail of "whys."  It's a tough road; biblical Job can tell us all about it, along with Paul, Joseph, Abraham, Samson, and the beloved John the Baptist, who lost his head.  It's not funny, this life of the believer in Christ Jesus.  It's all about "growth."  We must become the image of the One we serve, the Lord Jesus Christ, and it begins from the moment we say "I will."  Huh?  "I will give my heart and soul to You, Lord Jesus; come into my life and fill me with Your Spirit; I will be baptized in Your name, and I will be a witness for You all of my days."  That's when it begins  ...  We must become a "Tree of Life."

Life begins for the believer when he is "born again" of the water and of the Spirit. (Acts 2; Acts 10; Acts 19)  "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."  (Jeremiah 17:7-8)  That sounds just like a "Tree of Life" to me; something that digs deeper when the winds blow, that does not wilt when heat is applied, and that bears fruit continually.  O, saint of God; that's a description of you; trouble only causes our roots to spread and dig in deeper; we don't run from it; we wield our sword and fight; we're armored soldiers, after all.  Then, when we're thrown in the fire, we look up, and there's a fourth man walking around with us  ...  Jesus is with us in the flames of life, always.  And, we are soul winners, always bearing fruit, doing what we were saved to do ...  win souls for the One who saved us.  It's not easy being a tree, and especially, a "lively tree."

"And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side,

 shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the

fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months,

because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof

  shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."

(Ezekiel 47:12)

These waters signify the gospel of Christ, which went forth from Jerusalem, which spread into all the surrounding countries, along with the power of the Holy Ghost.  Matthew Henry says it like this:

"If we search into the things of God, we find some things plain and

easy to be understood, as the waters that were but to the ankles;

others more difficult, which require a deeper search, as the waters

to the knees, or the loins; and some quite beyond our reach, which we cannot

penetrate; but must, as St. Paul did, adore the depth."

I love it; water to the ankles, to the knees, to the loins, and then we're in over our heads  ...  deep calleth unto deep  ...  the beauty of the unsearchable riches of God's Word.  But, hold on; to him who seeks wisdom; he shall find it  ... "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  O, Lord, take us into deep waters; teach us your infinite wisdom, reveal to us Your secrets; grant to us the thoughts of Your mind, and the movings of Your Spirit  ...  take us into the Deep; we will "adore the depth."

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields

its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers."

(Psalm 1:3)

"My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie

all night on my branches."

(Job 29:19)

The Holy Word of God; don't you cherish it?  It's so powerful, life-giving, strengthening, loving, and true!  If we are a healthy "tree;" and we are growing, bearing fruit, strong in the Lord and the power of His might, we will prosper.  You say, "But, I'm doing what I should, but I have terrible financial troubles."  Do you pay your tithes; do you give in offerings; is there anything God wants you to do that you have not done?  Everything is God's, but the tithe, 10% belongs to Him; we will not prosper if we do not tithe on all we receive.  This is essential ... when we obey the Word of God, the "dew will lie on our branches."  What?  We will be blessed.  The Bible explains it in the Book of 3rd John 1:2, which says, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."   The key there is "even as thy soul prospers;" our souls do not grow and do not become giants in the realms of Spirit, power, and glory, if we do not obey the Holy Bible, and consequently, we do not prosper.  The face of God is always toward those who obey His will; His will is His Word; and His Word is the life of the "tree."

The Tree of Life always dwells with the "living waters."  We, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, saints of the most high God, His Church, and His bride must have living waters in order to flow into all the world as His witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Those living waters are the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost and fire.

The Spirit of the Lord flows through us and into others, causing a river that is ever flowing all over the world.  Lord, let us be a vessel of  Your power, an overflowing of Your Spirit, an instrument of Your Gifts, and help us to be strong, offering a covering to the world from our branches, healing for the Nations from our leaves, and let us bear much fruit for Your Kingdom; let us each be a mighty "Tree of Life."      

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

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