Olive Trees!
Psalm 52:8”But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.”
What I enjoy about my kitchen is not the latest gadgets that I bought or the dishes that I make, but the time I spend with my maid Sameena, a muslim woman, whose two kids study in our Abide Public School. One morning she told me, “madam, I told my son Irfan, if you continue to be naughty then I would complain about you to madam’, for which he replied, ‘if the tree is good, the fruit will be good but if the tree is bad then the fruit will also be bad.’ Sameena was startled at this little brat’s reply, and wondered what is this parable all about! Irfan explained this to his mom, ‘madam taught us this in prayer, if dad is good then I would also be good.’ Both of us laughed our guts out at the daring reply of five year old Irfan; however, fear came upon me of my responsibility over these lovely kids who listen and also remember. Are you listening?
In the above scripture, David said, ‘I am like a green Olive tree!’ Not just Olive tree, but he calls himself as a green Olive tree planted in the house of God. Where you are planted is very important friend! If you are planted by the rivers of water, then you would grow strong and high and give fruits in all seasons. Hallelujah! Where do you go on Sundays? Is church your number one priority or do you compromise? Do you loiter around malls, shopping markets, gym, beauty parlor and put God behind? Think! Olive trees!
Olives are long-lived with a life expectancy of 1000 years. Boy! That’s superb! The fruits are used for many things including food. And if healthy, the olive tree will produce fruits for hundreds of years. Point to note. Many times there are small young shoots coming up from the roots of the olive tree. If allowed to grow, these shoots become new trees that also bear fruit. Olive oil has long been considered sacred and it was used to anoint kings and athletes in ancient Greece. It was burnt in the sacred lamps of temples. Proper pruning is important for the olive. Pruning both regulates production and shapes the tree for easier harvest. The leaves have medical uses and is used as cure for asthma, allergy and many other illness. The wood of the Olive tree is used for making furniture and other things. The Olive fruits are also used for Olive Oil – overall the Olive tree is extremely useful and that is exactly why the Bible refers to the Olive tree often. Most important the roots of the Olive tree go deep down to about 20 feet and that’s the reason they are able to bear fruits for as long as 100 years. Amen. How deep are your roots friend! Just a small fever or cough can hamper your faith. Olive trees can withstand storms and strong wind because of the strong foundation. Amen.
Just after my salvation and my miraculous healing that led me closer to Christ, while I was a young mother of a teenaged daughter and an infant, working for a multinational bank, I would rock my baby on my lap in the night and pray. I would put Joshua to sleep and read the Bible hungrily through the night – at times till the wee hours of the next day. On weekends, I would leave my new born baby with my maid and along with my husband visit baby wards, women wards of Government hospitals and pray for the sick and distribute bread and biscuits.
Today, when an avalanche of problems attack and try to push me, I am able to stand because of the spiritual investments that I have been making for several years.
Click weblink :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_-KZwyMF0w
to view video sermon of this message – don’t miss this, I have uploaded pics of Irfan.
