Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Ever Green with David Roper
Ever Green
The righteous flourish like the palm
tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the
Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever green and full of sap.
Psalm
92:12-14
"Tell me this,"
said Peter: "why do people talk about going down hill when they begin to
get old? It seems to me that first they begin to go up hill." —Curdle and
the Princess, George Macdonald
Exactly. The last mile is
straight up.
Yet, aging can be
perfectly fine, despite arthritis, tendinitis, presbyopia, neuropathy and the
other concomitants of old age—if we’re "planted in the house of the
Lord."
The "house of the
Lord" is not the churchyard; some Sundays our bodies just can't answer the
call. No, the house of the Lord is that secret place in our heart of hearts
where we meet with God in quiet worship, where we listen to Him speak to us
through His Word and talk things over with Him. That's where we come to know
Him and call Him "Old Friend."
I love the picture the
poet draws of those that are growing old with God. Imagine the towering majesty
and beauty of a palm tree, the massive strength of a giant sequoia.
Beauty and strength—the
attributes of those that are planted in the house of the Lord, rooted in God
and His love, bearing the fruit of His Spirit—love, joy, peace, gentleness,
goodness, et. al.
Other trees, when they get
old, stop bearing, but not God’s trees. They "flourish." They
still bear fruit in old age; they are ever green and full of sap!
David Roper
10.10.17
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