10.11.08 The Tree of Life, Proverbs 11

The Tree of Life (found on the internet)

My step-dad came over today to repair my roof from the damage received from hurricane Ike. This was an answer to prayer. Our roof had received very minor damage (fortunately no water in the house, the tar paper was still in place and shed water during the rain).

I knew it would be costly to get someone to come out and repair only 10 tiles given the high demand for roofers in our area. I had done some research on the internet and was going to try to handled this repair myself, but I lacked the tools and the expertise, etc.

While my step-dad was on that project, he had also noticed that my trees needed trimming and so he brought his "multi-purpose" saw and also pruned branches off of three medium sized oak trees in our back yard. My yard is now filled with branches that I will need to prepare for the dump. The trees look different, light and well-formed (they were getting very thick and some of the branches were beginning to rub up against the house). A trimmed tree is a sight to behold. They look like million dollar trees compared to the massive scrabs (is this a word) they were becomming. I can't wait to do some reading under one of the larger oaks this week.

Have you gone through a prunning process? For a believer, prunning is necessary in one's life. It is a time for God to reveal our character. He cuts back the deadwood, the fluff, the stuff that gets in the way of his relationship with us. When he is done, we are left more beautiful than before and stronger.

The prunning process is never fun. It hurts. We don't know fully what is happening, but we do know it is for our long-term benefit. It also prepares us for future growth.

"Mighty to Save" by Hillsong (a time of worship)

These verses stood out to me today:

Proverbs 11:8 - "The righteous man is rescued from trouble, and it comes on the wicked instead."

How do we know if we are righteous? There are times we feel righteous through the holy spirit. The times when we deny ourselves and allow Jesus to move through us. Those times are wonderful, when we are allowed to play a part of impacting someones life, having the spiritual courage to speak blessing, or compassionately praying for someone in time of need, offering a good deed, or powerful worship. Each day is a new slate. We see righteousness when we come clean before God, dropping our agendas, our own understanding, and begging our father for his direction and leading. The wicked have their own agenda to pursue.

Proverbs 11:14 - "For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure."

The world seems in turmoil and nations near collapse. The news shakes confidence. Pray for our leaders today, may they receive wise council.

Proverbs 11:25 - "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

Are you generous? Do you refresh others? I don't know how generous I truly am or whether I refresh others as much as I would like. I do enjoy being able to give or helping people when I can. Lately I have felt tapped out and in the pursuit of how I can be an effective source of provisions to my family, by neighborhood, community, and the body of Christ. I have gone through the prunning process mentioned above and feel ready to bloom, but I am still not certain of the new growth. I am praying to be filled with more so that I can fill others.

Proverbs 11:30 - "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise"

I love oak trees for their grandness over time. An oak tree takes many years to reach its beauty, but every decade adds to its stature and character. There are many other trees to behold. Maybe you have seen the giant Sequoia trees in California, Aspen trees in Colorado, the Bonsai of Japan, or the olive trees in Israel. Trees vibrate life. Part of our journey is to win souls via our life. I think many times, we may this harder than it should be. We are called to be the salt of the Earth and to be a light.

On Mission, On Assignment, and in the ZONE!

Andy Valadez
e-mail: andy@marketingdynamics.org