As the seasons change, the one noticeable change that most people can see are when the leaves on trees begin to change from green to orange, yellow, and sometimes red. We don’t think of the science or chemistry behind it, but rather admire the change and move on. But the Lord slowed me down one morning on my way to work, and started showing me a new perspective. You see, what the Lord presented to me that morning was a sea of green trees. All different shades of green, but nonetheless they were green. But then he highlighted one specific tree to me. It was a tree that was a shade of bright yellow. It was the only one out there like it, and the Lord began to ask what this scene represented. To me, the landscape reminded me of people. People who are in a crowd and not sure why they are there. Yet the one yellow tree is amidst them. Shining bright to those around them, and not ashamed of its differences.
The Lord began to reveal to me that this very scene is what I am walking in to this next year as I begin this journey around the world. We are walking in to these forests of darkness, and with the lantern of the Lord, we shine our differences for those around us to see. The brighter we shine, the more people notice, and the more they want to know what is different about us.
But as the week continued on, the Lord would reveal to me the red and orange trees more. You see, the first day the Lord slowed me down, He showed all the colored trees to me. The red ones were just as bright as the yellow trees, but over the week, they began to fade away to brown. The Lord showed me that this exact scene is what is happening here in the United States. We are so on fire for the Lord at the beginning, and then as life happens to us, we begin to lose our faith. The temptations of the enemy become so overpowering that we decide it’s easier to just give up and take the easy route. But as John writes in Revelation 2:10, “Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.” This promise almost brings to me tears when I think about all the things Christians before us have endured for Christ, but it ultimately is a reflection of the very thing that Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.
When people ask me what drives me to do missions, my answer will always be that it is what the Lord has called me to do, as a reflection of Matthew 28 – the Great Commission. “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” But the next reason is because when Jesus gave his life on the cross for my sins, He cleansed me of everything I have done or will do in the future. The only way that I could ever begin to show Him my gratitude for saving me is to worship Him. Not worship as in singing Him a song, no, I mean worship as in our love expressed to God as a response to His grace towards us. Micheal Todd expressed it this way in his series, 24ever, and explains that we have to understand the love that Christ himself gave to us, and understand we will never be able to love Christ back anywhere close to what He deserves. But, if we wholeheartedly worship God, that is the only way we can give back to Him.
So I have a question, what color tree are you? Are you the green trees that just stand in the crowd and get tossed around and molded by society? Are you the red or orange trees that started out strong for Christ but have burned out and turned away from Him? Or are you the yellow tree that continues to shine bright for God? If I’m being honest, I’m the red and orange trees in certain situations. But with the grace of God, I’m working hard to become that yellow tree. It’s not only a reminder that I need Jesus, but it is a goal for myself to strive to be more like Him daily.
Hope you all have a blessed day! XOXO
