{"id":4945,"date":"2021-10-23T08:29:36","date_gmt":"2021-10-23T12:29:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/?p=4945"},"modified":"2021-10-24T04:47:58","modified_gmt":"2021-10-24T08:47:58","slug":"trees-of-righteousness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hispreciousgift.com\/wordpress\/trees-of-righteousness\/","title":{"rendered":"TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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So, they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God], The planting of the\u00a0Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3<\/em><\/p>\n

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Over the past few weeks, we have talked about the seasons we all go through and the challenges that come into our lives. We also discussed how our Lord is Faithful<\/strong> even when we feel faithless. I am reminded of Isaiah 61:1-3, how our Lord encouraged the nation of Israel, through the prophet Isaiah in one of their seasons of great distress. Isaiah said,<\/p>\n

1<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>\u201c<\/em>The Spirit of the Lord\u00a0<\/em>God<\/em>\u00a0is upon me, because the\u00a0<\/em>Lord<\/em>\u00a0has anointed\u00a0and\u00a0commissioned me<\/em>
To bring good news to the humble\u00a0and\u00a0afflicted.
<\/em>He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted,
<\/em>To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation]
<\/em>to the [physical and spiritual] captives and freedom to prisoners,<\/em>
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2 <\/sup><\/strong>To proclaim the favorable year of the\u00a0Lord, and the day of
<\/em>vengeance and retribution of our God,
<\/em>To comfort all who mourn,<\/em><\/p>\n

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3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>To grant to those who mourn in Zion\u00a0the following:<\/em>
To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],
The oil of joy instead of mourning,
The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.

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So, they will be called the Trees of Righteousness<\/strong> [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God], The planting of the\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Lord<\/em>, that He may be glorified.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Did you know that In Christ, WE<\/strong> ARE<\/strong> His Trees of Righteousness<\/strong>? Even though there are many scriptures related to our being Righteous before God (good enough and completely accepted)<\/em>, here is one verse I love.<\/p>\n

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He (God our Father) made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him<\/strong> we would become <\/em>The Righteousness\u00a0of\u00a0God<\/strong>\u00a0[that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness. <\/em>2 Corinthians 5:21 <\/strong>(Amplified)<\/p>\n

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So, if that\u2019s true, why don\u2019t we see His fruitfulness in our lives. Today, I want to share a post written several years ago to help us to understand what hinders us from growing into WHO WE ALREADY ARE.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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When I was a therapist working with clients or even now as a pastoral counselor, my goal is always to get to the\u00a0\u2018root\u2019<\/em>\u00a0of the problems which are presented to me. I look at each person as a tree. When you look at a tree that has matured, its foliage usually is green and healthy, right? However, when you look at a diseased tree, the leaves are missing. If it has\u00a0leaves, they are usually brown, sickly, decaying, or withering, a definite sign something is wrong. I thought about when we look at the Body of Christ and we see each other sickly, decaying, and withering, we wonder what\u2019s wrong or why is this the case. The Bible calls us \u201cTrees of Righteousness, the Planting of the Lord. We are planted by streams of Living Water and our leaves will not fade or wither, and whatever we do through Him WILL prosper,\u201d\u00a0<\/em>but why are those things not happening to us? For this reason, we must examine the\u00a0\u2018roots.\u2019<\/em> What is causing our leaves to decay and wither away? What is causing our lives not to bear the fruit of the\u00a0Life Source<\/strong>\u00a0when we are connected to,\u00a0Jesus Christ<\/strong>? What is hindering us from growing, maturing, or coming into\u00a0\u201cFull Bloom or Glory?\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>Just like a good counselor should do, I inquired of the Lord, and He said,\u00a0\u201cExamine the \u2018roots\u2019.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>And so, we will.<\/p>\n

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ROOT PROBLEMS<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The \u2018root\u2019<\/em>\u00a0of a tree establishes its permanence and its firmness in the soil which covers it. If the\u00a0\u2018roots\u2019<\/em>\u00a0are not planted deep in the soil, held firmly in place as the tree grows, it will eventually become weak, fragile, and ineffective. Some trees die especially when a gust of wind blows. Another factor is, if the tree\u2019s\u00a0\u2018roots\u2019<\/em> are growing in unhealthy soil or mixed with impurities, it will die. Our childhood memories and traumas do affect our natural and spiritual growth in Christ, temporarily and even permanently…our past does matter; that’s where life for all of us began. <\/span><\/strong>There are other problems which cause trees to get diseased or die, let\u2019s examine three of them:

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Root Rot:<\/strong>\u00a0Excess water makes it difficult for the\u00a0\u2019roots\u2019<\/em>\u00a0to get the air they need, causing them to decay. To avoid root rot, it\u2019s best to only water trees and plants when the soil becomes dry and keep it well-drained.\u00a0Overwatering a tree can be damaging to its health. How many of us, read and read, study, and study the Bible, or go to church constantly and not allow what we have learned to become a part of who we are. We are listening, but we are not obeying. James calls us\u00a0hearers of the word but not doers, we deceive ourselves thinking we are growing in the Lord.<\/em>

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Poor Nutrients in the Soil:<\/strong>\u00a0If the soil is not at the right temperature, does not have the right balance of nutrients to feed on, the tree will die. Another reason for not growing or bearing fruit is we are still trying to please the Lord in the flesh by trying to act and obey but not trusting His Spirit to work in us. The Law always kills but the Spirit frees us to walk in the Truth and Life.<\/em> Here are two fitting examples of us mixing law and grace:<\/p>\n

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