"A Tree With Your Name On It!"

"A Tree With Your Name On It!"

"And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief

among the publicans, and he was rich.  And he sought to see Jesus who

he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.  And he

ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass

 that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him,

and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down;

 for to day I must abide at thy house."

(Luke 19:2-5)

The Lord Jesus Christ

It might be a mountain of pain, a disease, a mental disorder, a financial battle, a family turmoil; everybody's got a problem for which we need a "tree," something we can scale to reach The One who holds all the answers, something for which we can use to get higher, to get closer, to get a better view of Jesus Christ  ...  whatever it is, it always constitutes the need to CLIMB!  There will be a time in all of our lives when we will become like a desperate Zacchaeus, who wanted to get to Jesus so badly that he climbed a tree.  Jesus Christ always notices those special ones that cannot be stopped, the "desperate beyond normal" faith bearers, the somewhat fanatical reachers, the rabid believers in His power and love, the second and third milers, for Him.  Hey, if you're like the rest of us, who are always in need of a Savior for every situation in our lives, there's "A Tree With Your Name On It!"

It's all about reaching for Jesus Christ; taking up our cross and following Him, climbing higher as we bow lower, reaching up for His hand reaching down, pushing ourselves to go higher in Him than we have ever been before, praying longer to see further, sitting at His feet to look in His face  ...  climbing a tree of persistence to stretch our faith  ...

Our reaching, pushing, pestering, "not gonna' give up until you bless me" faith is a thrill to the Lord.  He loves that kind of faith, that 'tear the roof off,' that 'climb a tree to get to Him,' that 'even the dogs eat of the crumbs under the table,' that 'just speak the word and my daughter will be healed,' that 'thou art the Christ,' that 'if I can but touch the hem of His garment,' ...  that exceeding the normal limit of belief in God and "climbing" kind of faith.  What?  "Climb" means to ascend with continuous strenuous effort.  Climbers always get a view of Jesus  ...

What do you want?  What do you need?  What have you prayed and prayed for, with no answer?  Is there something more you can do in the realm of Faith?  You say, "But, I've done and prayed everything I know to do; nothing has changed."  Have you climbed a tree?  Huh?  Have you gone on a three-day fast, prayed all night and day for many days, dropped everything to have a Pastor lay hands on you, given away your last dime if you need money yourself, laid hands on someone else if you need healing yourself, obeyed His Word in regard to baptism in the name of Jesus Christ and received the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with tongues as His Spirit gives the utterance, sat at His feet for hours on end waiting for His Word?  ...  Those are "tree climbing" things, extra mile in the name of faith things, letting Him know you are willing to 'give to get' things, obedience to His Word things  ...  moving the heart of God things  ...

What if you've done those things and more, and you have waited for years; then what? Then, you do the thing most don't think about.  You praise and thank Him extravagantly for giving you the thing you want or need!  Huh?  "But, I haven't gotten it yet," you say.  Right, but you worship as though you have; you thank Him and rejoice like a person who has received the blessing of your life, and you keep doing it until  ...  That is radical Faith!  Thanking Him with exuberance for something you do not have  ...  yet  ...

You say, "But, aren't these things just ways of trying to manipulate the Lord?"  Nope.  They're things we should all be doing whether we get what we want or not; and furthermore, those things only help us to draw closer to the lover of our souls  ...  which is what He "always" wants  ...  the "tree climbing" endeavor just might take us into deeper spiritual realms; miracles, signs, and wonders; visions and dreams  ...  and we may discover that our wants and needs change, and/or the answer is on its way!  ...  It's at that point that things happen  ...  Why?  We have crossed the barrier of heaven and earth; we have entered the heart and mind of God.  It's really all about "A Tree With Your Name On It!"

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)