What type of Tree are you?

And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. Mark 8:24

I was worshiping the Lord when He began to show me trees. Bare trees. He began to reveal some things to me.

First thing He began to show me was how after all the leaves of autumn have fallen you can see very clearly the trunk of the tree. Whether it is straight and tall, bent and crooked, old and cracked or being strangled out and twisted by a vine.

I also began to remember how in the past the Lord had showed me, that a tree in the winter may look dead and bare on the outside. However, the inside is flowing with life and energy. He also reminded me that before the Spring He pours out His rains to provide what the tree will need to bud and bring forth it's flowers and leaves. It requires great amounts of energy to bring forth it's new life.

While I was meditating on these things He reminded me of the following scripture in Isaiah 61

“3. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

4. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

5. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

6. But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

7. For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

8. For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.

10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”

Is 61: 3-11

21. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

22. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time. Is 60:21-22

These are incredible promises for trees of righteousness. How do we qualify to be a righteous tree? It says in Is 60:21 that the righteous are the work of God's hands. That He plants us. That He cultivates us and prunes us.

God says there is another kind of tree. It's a tree of transgressors, sinners, those who forsake the Lord, the proud, the lofty and the lifted up ones.

“28. And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

29. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.

30. For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.

31 .And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.” Isa 1:28-31

trans·gress ( tr²ns-grµs“, tr ²nz-) v. trans·gressed trans·gress·ing trans·gress·es v. tr. 1. To go beyond or over (a limit or boundary); exceed or overstep:

1. To commit an offense by violating a law or command;

sin ¹ ( s¹n) n. 1. A transgression of a religious or moral law, especially when deliberate. 2. Theology a. Deliberate disobedience to the known will of God. b. A condition of estrangement from God resulting from such disobedience. 3. Something regarded as being shameful, deplorable, or utterly wrong.

for·sake ( fôr-s³k“, f …r-) v. tr. for·sook ( -s‹k“) for·sak·en ( -s³“k…n) for·sak·ing for·sakes 1. To give up (something formerly held dear); renounce: 2. To leave altogether; abandon: American Heritage Dictionary

What is this scripture referring to? Where are you planted? I'm not talking about where you go to church. Even though this could also apply to this. The point the Lord is making here is, it was a place of their choosing not His. Because the Lord did not choose this garden for them there was nothing there to sustain them. He also said because they went after “oaks” men and woman for what you needed and not God, He calls them transgressors, sinners and forsakers of the Lord. He said this qualified them to be cast into the fire. Obviously, it is very important that we are, where God wants us to be. He does not take this likely and neither should we. Where has God called you to be planted in this season? What are you supposed to be doing? Where? With who?

10. Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty.

11. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

12. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

13. And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,

14. And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,

15. And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,

16. And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.

17. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

18. And the idols he shall utterly abolish.

19. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

20. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;

21. To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Is 2:10-21

For these trees (individuals) there is a judgment. Let me give some insight here. Who would we consider the proud and lofty and lifted up ones to be? In a nutshell...anyone who does not recognize Jesus as Lord in their life. I'm not just talking about people who have met Jesus. I'm talking about those that say they are His and yet have not yielded up their lives to Him. Who think they know better for their lives than the God that created them.

What gets exposed in each of us when the leaves of autumn fall in our lives? What kind of tree are we? When our outer cover is gone, what do other people see when they look at us? What do we emit? Are we straight, tall and strong or bent, gnarled, crooked and cracked? How do they feel when they are around us? Peaceful, calm, joyful, loved, received and excepted or creeped out, insecure, scared, on edge, afraid to express themselves, unloved and criticized.

Are we righteous trees or are we transgressors, sinners, those who forsake the Lord, the proud, the lofty and the lifted up ones?

Take time to examine yourself, your life. Is God in it? Is He the center of your life? Are there idols in your life that stand before the Almighty God? Do you even believe in God? Do you care? Do you want to know?

If upon self examination you come to the conclusion that you do not fall into the tree of righteousness category you can change that. It is not too late. You've already made the first step you evaluated your life, you judge yourself. So now, Repent. Repentance means to turn. Turn away from sin. Turn away from transgression. Turn the other way, toward Jesus. Ask Him to be the Lord of your life. Begin to seek Him and the Truth. Put Him first. Let Him plant you. Not sure where or what that means. Ask Him and as long as you truly want His will, He will tell you. You will know it is Him when you have His peace in the decision.

The Lord of Host is fierce in battle. He is awesome in majesty. He doesn't lose or back down. I want to be on His side, it's the winning side.

by: Cherie Sheridan