July 2021

BE A TREE

Like a tumble weed at the mercy of the elements, I lacked stability and went wherever the winds of excitement swayed my wretched flesh. Drinking every weekend with fellow accomplices, killing brain cells, barely existing—a reckless, aimless, empty shell—I circled as dust in the wind.

If you probed me at the time with the question: “Do you think you are free to do whatever you want?” I would have answered hastily: “Yes! Absolutely! I’m no one’s slave.”

Truth is I was a slave to addictions, countless fears of death—of another loved one dying—of not having enough money, of being rejected by peers. I was a slave to my desire for approval—the need to be needed—to the opinions, judgments, and estimations of others.

God’s Word declares: “The ungodly are…like the chaff which the wind drives away” (Psalm 1:4).

That was me: chaff.

Chaff has no roots.

Chaff is the crust, the outer casing of a seed. It’s dry, dead skin peeled off a kernel; it’s so light, at the mercy of wind, easily driven from place to place.

In contrast, God’s Word unveils the life of the righteous as being “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3).

A prosperous tree, bearing loads of fruit, does not fly all over the place. Its deep roots anchor it in one place. It’s stable and dependable and alive.

A tree that is constantly transplanted cannot be fruitful.

Chaff appears to be free, having so much fun, but it is dead—a hollow husk—a slave to its environment.

On the other hand, the tree is alive and free to grow and bear fruit to nourish others.

When I became a Christian, after someone gave me a Bible and challenged me to read a chapter a day, I experienced freedom for the first time. The perfect love of God drove out those demons one by one; when I meditated on God’s Word every day, God gave me life, confidence, strength, hope and peace.

He set me free!

Yet, Jesus dives deeper into the hearts of those who have been impressed by His words, “but who had not surrendered themselves for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is not only by resistance but by neglect that the soul is destroyed” (The Desire of Ages, pg. 323). In Matthew 12:45, our Saviour warns that if a man is empty, like a vacant house, an evil spirit will move in with “seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

Chaff is chaff.

The only way for us to become trees bearing never-failing fruit is to remain free—vitally rooted, grounded and connected to Christ, regularly receiving the vitalising current of His Spirit.

A tree does not eat its own fruit; it feeds others: people, birds, animals, and even insects.
The fruit of my life is not for me, but to feed others.

At It Is Written Canada, our deep desire is to fill empty souls by connecting them with our kind, compassionate Saviour—the only One who can keep us free.

However, we cannot do this work alone. Therefore, we thank you for supporting us with your prayers and financial contributions so that we can continue connecting Canadians to the abundant life found in Jesus in a way that is personal and relevant.

If you are feeling lost and empty today, Jesus desires to fill you up and set you free. Reach out to Him in prayer, ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit, and He will give you the relief, comfort, and assurance you need.

“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:11-13 NKJV).

~ Mike Lemon