Reap From His Strength

We have a very mild winter so far in the northwest. It seems all our snow and frigid weather has moved east. We have hardly had any snow at all in the month of January and that is quite rare. Some of our days this month have been spring-like, with only a bearable chill.
The leader at the Bible study I went to today was talking about some trees she noticed that were beginning to bud.
“Oh, no!” she said. “Don’t do that.” She got to talking about how this was the time the roots needed to grow deeper into the soil.
I got to thinking about how winter is a time for trees, shrubs, and most plants to recuperate from the hard work of bearing and growing fruit in the summer and fall months.
During winter, not only do the trees’ roots sink deeper into the earth, but the trees regain nourishment and strength. To us the trees look dead, yet plenty of life is going on underneath the ground, and in the trunks and branches.
If it was always summer, the time to bear fruit, the trees would eventually become depleted. There would be no time for the tree to replenish its nourishment, and thereby regain its strength to produce more leaves and then fruit.
The roots would not grow deep as all the nourishment would go towards the bearing and growth of the fruit. Chances are the trees’ roots would weaken with each stormy gusts of wind tossing it’s branches about.

I see a parallel between the trees and our world.
Sometimes, we feel dead inside. We become stagnant in our Christian growth.

Our roots are shallow because we have not taken our faith too seriously.
We have little strength to produce the fruit we should bear.
When the stormy gusts hit our lives, we become frail without turning to God for strength.
Our branches break and snap off with adversity.
We feel weak, discouraged, and want to give up.
We start believing the battle is ours, and that it’s up to us to win.
“It’s too much to deal with on my own!” We cry out.
“I know it is my child. Have you forgotten I am here for you,” He says.
“Come, dig your roots into the solid ground of My Word.”
“Come, drink from the Living Water I offer to quench your thirst.”

“Regain your strength by pulling from My strength.”
“Keep your faith in Me, not in what you see around you.”
“Resist the wiles of the devil and he will flee from you.”
“The closer you will come to Me, the less you will notice the storm.”
“The further you delve into My Word, the less pruning I will have to do.”

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Found images on Facebook.

By ~ Elizabeth Yalian 2014 ©http://hiseyeisonthissparrow.com.