Daily Leson for April 1, 2015

Today's daily lesson comes from Jeremiah 17 verses 7 and 8:

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
8 He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

A friend used to say that we out here in West Texas may not have many trees but they're exactly where we want them.  She said this, of course, because we had to plant them all!

If you are a tree which happened to draw the short straw and be selected for West Texas, the best place you could hope to be planted is near a coulee or draw.  I drive through West Texas and its there, beside water or beside where water used to be, that you'll find the oldest, greenest trees. The roots of those trees have bore down, deep into the ground and stretched forth to draw water from sources both hidden and ancient.  These are the trees which have survived our scorching heat and our long droughts.

I know the metaphor needs no explanation; but we preachers' besetting sin is to over-explain things.  I'll be brief, I promise!

Those who have grown deep roots -- those who have read great and ancient wisdom stories, who know the Scriptures by heart,  who have listened to and heard great stories by campfire light, who have drawn courage from the saints, and who remember what their grandmothers told them -- these are the ones who bear life's scorching heat and long droughts. 

These are the trees who remain green and do not cease to bear fruit -- even in a dry and barren land.