Have you ever studied nature and applied the natural maturity patterns and compared them to the instruction of God? If you were to do this you would find a parallel of lessons that confirms God’s Word and they can teach us how to develop who we are. Let’s take a look at what we can learn from a white oak tree in parallel to God’s Word.

 If you were to study a white oak you would find that the bark at the base of the tree is new from growth coming from the core and as it matures up the tree you can see how the old bark becomes dry and brittle. As the new growth matures it sheds the old bark as scales that need to fall in order to make new room for the tree to grow stronger in reaching for the skies. 

 What would happen if the old bark on the tree did not allow the new to grow? What would happen if the physical man was restricting the spiritual man that is to mature over time? What would happen if we were to hold on to something that was holding us back because we never learned how to shed the old to receive the new? What if we were hiding something within our tree that we did not want others to really see?

 Now here is the object in life that was taught through Jesus Christ. As a tree matures we are to grow from our roots in appreciation for the foundation from which we stand. There should be a mutual respect between the new and the old bark of the same tree that teaches us how to work together in love without having to shed the scales of the old to make way for the new. For the family of God is part of one tree that has many parts and the object is to work together to enjoy this tree of life that lives on forever through the unconditional love of Jesus Christ…Amen

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com