Where are you planted?

“He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

What are you planted in? 

When a plant or tree is planted in the ground it absorbs the nutrients from the ground around it. What the tree produces is a direct result of what it takes in. If the ground is poisonous then the fruit will likely be bitter and tasteless. If the ground is rich in minerals it will produce sweet and delicious fruit. 

This is true in the spirit too. Where we are planted is what kind of fruit we produce. If you are planted in a life giving place, that's what you will produce.  But if you are in a place where there is no freedom and liberty, that's what you will become. 

The psalmist says that when we are planted by the river of life we will produce good fruit in every season. The key thing you will notice is that the tree goes through different seasons. We all face a winter in our lives, some of us are in a summer others in spring while others are heading in autumn. 

We should never despise others who are in a different season in their lives. We all face challenges at some point. But as individuals living in the grace of God we should be compassionate and loving to all 

But regardless of what season we are in, if we are planted in a life giving place we will always produce good fruit. That's the point he is trying to make. Our proximity to the river of life will indeed have an effect on our life. And no matter the season you find yourself in you will still absorb the life the water gives and produce something good.  

Where are you planted? What ground do you reside in? It's easy to know because the quality of your  fruit will determine where you are planted. 

If you find that your fruit is bitter, make a change.  When a horticulturist wants to get a plant to grow bigger, they remove it from its pot, that might have confined its roots and transfer it to a larger pot. The size of the roots determine the growth. 

The process of being uprooted and replanted might seem traumatic but without it the growth of a plant is stunted. 

Be planted in a place of life that feeds your soul those important nutrients of life.  What you produce is a direct reflection of where you are planted. 

Humility in a Hostile World

Humility 

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”

Matthew 18:1-5 NKJV

Humbleness 

This is a word that is not much used in our modern life. Humble is often seen as weak or ineffective,  or one who cannot stand up for themselves and are walked all over. In the race to achieve success in life there is no room for a humble person. It's all about selling yourself, telling others of your accomplishments and milestones. Everyone wants to outdo each other.  Your perceived success is based on a resume of achievements, not on your character.  

It's about what you have done, not so much who you are. We see our worth in our achievements not in who we are. So we are notable if we have a great business, are a CEO or a manger or public figure.  So many of today's celebrities or popular people are known for their accomplishments, movie stars, rock stars, singing stars, yet these people have little strong character. So often you hear about their missteps and failures.  

I was once at a course that encouraged us to talk all about our achievements. In fact they have us a little test. They said image you got into a lift with the CEO of your company. You have 30 seconds to tell him what you do and how much you have achieved and how you can help the company. It was all about selling yourself based on what you had achieved. 

The opposite is true here in this text. Here Jesus speaks about a little valued quality in our present lives. Being humble in our proclamation of self, and building of our character.  The disciples came to Him asking: who is the greatest? We all seek recognition and attention and so often it's for what we do.  Jesus turns this around and says it's not about accomplishments in your life. It's about the character of your life. 

Children really don't have any accomplishments to sell themselves on. They have no resources of their own. Especially little children,  they depend on their parents for their provision and substance. They don't go around talking about what they achieved this quarter. They have nothing to commend themselves with. 

Jesus says whomever in their attitude and character is like a child, not relying on their own achievements or accomplishments to sell themselves and become reliant upon their Father for their provision and success will be great in His kingdom. 

Our challenge in our walk, especially in the face of the world that pushes the capitalisation of self, is to learn to put our faith and trust in God. Our Christian character is of vital importance to ourselves and God. It's about whom we are more than what we have accomplished in this world. After all if you take away all of the things we do, do we still find worth in ourselves or are we defined by our success, our job and what we do? 

We should learn to be like a little child, not literally,  but in the sense of reliance on our Father for all our needs and provision. He is faithful to watch over you everyday of your life as a loving and giving Father. He will always make sure you are not forgotten but have significance. You will never be forgotten in a crowd. He knows and cares about you, not what you have accomplished.  

Have a God filled day!  

Gregory J Williams

Senior Pastor Transform Church