Autumn is a beautiful time of the year especially with the leaves changing their colors. For that reason, for many it is a favorite time of the year to travel. This can also be a busy time of the year as we try to keep the lawn clean and neat with all the falling leaves.
Have you thought lately about the execution of God’s wisdom and power, or the blessing He bestowed on us in creating trees on the third day of creation? We may often take them for granted, but trees have so many useful purposes both for man and wildlife. For instance, trees provide shade, protecting us and our houses from the heat of direct sunlight. Trees supply us with shelter from strong winds during storms. Trees provide building materials for all sorts of things including the construction of our furniture and houses. Trees provide fuel for building fires to cook at a campsite, or to keep us warm during the cold months of winter. Finally, trees provide us with food, a variety of nuts, berries and other fruit to enjoy. When God finished His work on the third day, having made grass, plants and trees, He saw that it was good (Genesis 1:12).
As Jesus lived and walked here among men, He used all kinds of things to teach and draw spiritual applications. Even so, Jesus compared the lives of men and the nature of the inner person with fruit-bearing trees. Concerning trees, Jesus well understood that every tree does not bear the same quality of fruit. His experience and knowledge was as it remains today: A good tree will always produce good fruit while a rotten tree never will (Matthew 7:18). A tree cannot deceive its owner, at least not for very long.
However, Jesus’ overriding interest was not in trees but with people just like you and me. When you see a tree, think about the teaching of Jesus and how that relates to your life. Jesus Christ is “our life” (Colossians 3:4), and He came to supply each of us with everything we need to be internally healthy and good fruit-bearers. Ask, “What kind of tree am I?”
