Life is good. The Kingdom of God got a little bigger this past Sabbath day in the march against the kingdom of darkness when our daughter-in-law and grand daughter were buried in baptism. They accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, so baptism was the next step. After being submerged in that watery grave we brought them back up into a resurrected new life in Christ, Rom. 6:4. There was joy in heaven, Luke 15:10. Praise the Lord. What a wonderful event for all of us to be able to see. Also as a part of the worship service I presented a special reading titled "Three Little Trees". You can read it below for your enjoyment. We broke bread together at lunch and had a good time of fellowship. There is nothing like Christian family. The love, worship, fellowship, interaction, and being God's kids can't be beat by anything else on earth, not even our blood families. For me it far out weighs any non-Christian relationship. There is no comparison. Now our daughter and grand daughter are part of the greatest family on earth.
Years passed, the rain came, the sun shone, and the little trees grew tall. One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain. The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, “This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his shining axe the first tree fell. “Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest, I shall hold wonderful treasure!” the first tree said. The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, “This tree is strong. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his shining axe the second tree fell. “Now I shall sail mighty waters!” thought the second tree. “I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!” The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed to heaven. But the woodcutter never even looked up. “Any kind of tree will do for me,” he muttered. With a swoop of the shining axe, the third tree fell.
The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenter’s ship. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered in gold, nor with treasure. She was coated with sawdust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals. The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day. Instead the once strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail to the ocean, or even a river; instead she was taken to a little lake. The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard. “What happened?” the once tall tree wondered. “All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God…”
Many, many days and nights passed. The trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feedbox. “I wish I could make a cradle for him,” her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and study wood. “This manger is beautiful,” she said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.
One evening, a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through with the wind and the rain. The tired man awaked. He stood up, stretched out his hand and said, “Peace.” The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew she was carrying the King of heaven and earth.
One morning, the third tree was startled when her beam was yanked from the forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man’s hands and feet to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But late on Sabbath evening before the first day of the week, when the Son of God arose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God’s love had changed everything. It had made the third tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.
So next time you feel down because you think your life is insignificant, just sit tight and be content, because God has great plans for you. Anonymous
1 comments:
Before you entered the sanctuary before Sabbath morning service, I heard your Taylor ask someone, "Where's Grandpa Z. ?" Is that what she calls you? Did you think 27 years ago that you would be called "Grandpa Z." ? I imagine you love it. It was a great Sabbath day.
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