Pensamientos para hoy (afterthought for today)
Strong as an oak
This summer (2006) I was on vacation in Ohio where we stayed with relatives. While there I noticed that the poplar trees in the back yard looked bad. Some of the trees were clearly dying. I was really surprised. I remembered when the trees were first planted about twenty years ago and at every subsequent visit I was amazed at how much the trees had grown. In the span of about twenty years the trees had grown to at least fifty to sixty feet tall. The poplar tree grows fast, but it doesn't live long. They can grow four to six feet a year and look nice, but the wood is soft and pulpy, and the tree does not live more than 100 years. In contrast, the oak tree grows much slower, has very hard wood, and can live for more that two or three centuries. Through the years I've met both poplar Christians and oak Christians. The poplar Christian starts off really strong and seems to soak up every Bible study and looks as if he or she may be headed for the ministry, but somewhere along the way they lose their focus. The demands of a disciplined Christian life seem to be too onerous. Prayer and Bible reading become a thing of the past. Church attendance takes a back seat to sleeping in on Sundays, or going to the beach, or washing the car, or cutting the lawn, or a dozen other excuses for missing church. In comparison, the oak Christian gradually and steadily grows in his study of the Bible. He or she becomes a faithful member of the church and gets involved in outreach to the community. When the storms of life come the oak Christian is able to withstand the pressure and doesn't allow the trials of life to rob them of God's peace and joy. The oak Christian knows that the Christian life is a life-long marathon and sets his mind to hang in there for the long haul no matter what. So send your roots deep into the word and spread your branches our far and wide and soak up God's life giving power as you abide in him through prayer and meditation. Allow your life to be filled with God's Spirit as you serve him and love others with the love of God. Growing slow but steady, Pastor Steve
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