The DNA is in the Seed...(10)Trees

You have made known to me the path of life; you fill me with joy in Your Presence, with eternal pleasures on Your lips - Psalms
The DNA of a tree is found in its seed - Wow REVELATION!!  Our DNA was implanted in us from seed, from the VERY beginning of our existence!
Psalms tell us that "He has made known to us" - one of the greatest indicators of our pathway forward in life and of our destinies will be found in our DNA.  DNA that has come through from previous generations will often show  possible strengths and weaknesses in character and gifting in the current generation!!!!
Trust God to show you which Gifts and Characteristics He can best use, to be a blessing to yourself, to those around you and for the sake of the Kingdom!!  
Say: My DNA is "Dyna packed" with blessing and HUGE Potential!!

Seedtime and harvest...(9)Trees

Every time I choose Gods will over my own, I'm planting a good seed that will eventually bring a harvest in my life.
We know that when a seed is planted that there is a waiting period between planting and full blown fruition.  We know that roots begin to shoot downwards in search of precious water and minerals and will also provide stability for future growth that will take place above the ground!  This all takes time and it's all is busy taking place underground.  We just can't see that anything is happening!
After we plant seed of obedience, we feel like nothing is happening, but finally life will burst through the ground in the form of a beautiful new shoot.  We need to believe that seeds of obedience that we plant in accordance with the word of God will eventually bring forth new beautiful shoots.  That we will see beautiful manifestations of God taking place in our lives!!

Use the Word as a Windbreak in your life...(8)Trees

"A windbreak or shelterbelt is a plantation usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner as to provide shelter from the wind and to protect soil from erosion. They are commonly planted around the edges of fields on farms.
A further use for "windbreaks" or "wind fences" is for reducing wind speeds over erodible areas such as open fields, industrial stockpiles, and dusty industrial operations."

See the Word as a Windbreak - the more Word that is planted into our lives, the less erosion we will see from negative circumstances and wind storms.  Plant seeds of Word that will grow into "huge oak trees" that will help prevent erosion taking place in our lives!

Take shelter under His Branches...(7)Trees

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.  He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him - 2 Sam 22:31
God has a way worked out for us.  He has a way for us to be living this life of ours to the absolute full. That DNA is encoded in us from birth, but we know that storms, circumstances, other peoples actions and just our environment have their  way of changing all that.  We can find ourselves thrown into a pit with absolutely no fault of our own! We can suddenly find people coming against us, often as a result of their own ambitions or insecurities!
Trees provide absolute refreshing and shelter from the sweltering sun as the heat of the day starts to gather.  When the "heat of the day" starts to gain momentum in our lives, we can rest assured and be 
blessed that we have Gods Word and that we have Him as our Father that we can come to. He says that He will be our shield and refuge.  He says just come to me..take refuge and shelter under my branches!!
Know that you are in good hands and that things will turn out just fine!

CLEAN THAT AIR....(6)Trees

Besides the gnarled beauty of the trees that we see surrounding us and some of the more obvious benefits that they provide, of THE most important roles they play on this "Big Blue Marble" of ours is to clean the air of certain otherwise detrimental toxins found in the air.
The word, positive experiences and  confessions and songs we listen to, all build the positive side of our brains.  This will in turn release positive chemicals into our bodies and start to outweigh and overpower the negative side and negative chemicals!  The negative side will always be there (its not possible to completely clean the air), but the positive will push the negative further and further into the background!!!!
Just a couple of the MANY scriptures found in the Word that speaks about the fruit of our mouths!!
Prov 18:7 Fools are undone by their big mouths, their souls are crushed by their words.
Ps 119:65-72 - Truth from your mouth means more to me than striking it rich in a gold mine.

Reducing Noise Pollution...(5)Trees

We have been promised life and the ability to live life to its full according to the word of God!!  Some of the promises will be miracles and we will see immediate fruit, others will require work and effort from our side to see that fruition.
The trees and "mini forests" that we see in our cities help to reduce noise from neighbours and traffic - they are "noise pollution reductors"
Living your life in the fullness that God has for you will require getting rid of any "noise pollution" in the form of negative speaking, negative experiences and the negative attitudes of those around you that might not totally be for you or the work of your hands!!
Renew your mind from a negative state to a positive one by building the positive side of your brain, which will release positive chemicals into your body through positive speaking, listening to and singing positive songs, being with people that are for you and thinking on good uplifting things.
We have the power and tools  in our hands to transform our minds!!

Pruning...(4)Trees

Romans 11:21-22  If God didn't think twice about taking pruning shears to the natural branches, why would  he hesitate over you?  He wouldn't give it a second thought.  Make sure you stay alert to these qualities of gentle kindness and ruthless severity that exist die by side in God - ruthless with the deadwood, gentle with the grafted shoot.  But dont presume on this gentleness.  The moment you become deadwood, you're out of there.

"Most routine pruning to remove weak, diseased, or dead limbs can be accomplished at any time during the year with little effect on the tree. As a rule, growth is maximized and wound closure is fastest if pruning takes place before the spring growth flush.

Because each cut has the potential to change the growth of the tree, no branch should be removed without a reason. Common reasons for pruning are to remove dead branches, to remove crowded or rubbing limbs, and to eliminate hazards. Trees may also be pruned to increase light and air penetration to the inside of the tree’s crown or to the landscape below. In most cases, mature trees are pruned as a corrective or preventive measure."

Recognize the deadwood in your life and take action!! Ask  God to help prune you to become the most effective you, you can be!

The benefits of maturity...(3)Trees

The responsibility of young saplings and young trees is to grow until they have reached their height and become fruitful, useful individuals.  The older more mature trees overhead will provide shelter from the elements, clean the air of contaminants and provide nutrients in the form of decomposing foliage.
A mature tree removes almost 70 times more pollution than a newly planted tree.  They are just equipped to do it. Mature trees are like the lungs of the planet, without them, we would not exist.They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen.
Roughly 800 million tons of carbon are found in the trees in the US alone, which contributes savings of $22billion in control costs and mature trees release enough oxygen to sustain 2 human beings!
The definition of Maturity - To get to "full development" and having reached a desired or final condition.

I think one of the most important lessons to learn in life is that life is a journey.  Its a process, with steps that need to be taken to ensure that we become the individuals who are useful and functioning fully in their purpose.  Young trees are just NOT equipped to function in a capacity close to their mature counterparts, but by staying close by and allowing time to take its course, they will reap all the benefits provided by the older more mature trees.
1 Corinthians 13:11 - When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Be teachable.  Find mature men and women who you can look up to and allow them to become "mentors" in your life through watching what they do, and hearing what they say.  Learning the lessons that they have learnt along the way will help prevent you reinventing the wheel!!

Know what You're made for ...(2)Trees

Trees, tress and more trees!!  In South Africa and most parts of the world we are blessed with an absolute abundance of a multitude of trees.  God sure knew what He was doing when He placed us in a garden with just so much beauty!!  Trees  keep our air supply clean, reduce noise pollution, improve water quality, help prevent erosion, provide food and building materials, create shade, and help make our landscapes look beautiful.

They're just an absolute blessing to us and are a real example of a multi functioning, purpose driven creation!  We can "parallel" their DNA with ours  as humans and see that we have been created with everything we need to be a multi functioning, purpose driven and "blessing charged" people.  We were born to be a blessing in many more ways than one, its in our DNA, it just who we were made to be!!

Know what You're Made For...(1)Trees

Background:

Wow - while investigating golden facts about the trees and plants that we nonchalantly drive past on a daily basis, I was struck by just how much we do actually take for granted.
Here are some awesome facts that I found on the SavATree site that we will use as a back drop for the next series that I want to share with you!

Trees are the longest living organisms on the planet and one of the earth's greatest natural resources. They keep our air supply clean, reduce noise pollution, improve water quality, help prevent erosion, provide food and building materials, create shade, and help make our landscapes look beautiful. Here are some more thought-provoking facts and figures about our oldest citizens and living treasures...trees!

• Well-maintained trees and shrubs can increase property value by up to 14%.
• Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30%
• A mature tree removes almost 70 times more pollution than a newly planted tree.
• A healthy tree can have a value of up to $10,000.
• The shade and wind buffering provided by trees reduces annual heating and cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars.
• Each average-sized tree provides an estimated $7 savings in annual environmental benefits, including energy conservation and reduced pollution.
• A single tree produces approximately 260 pounds of oxygen per year. That means two mature trees can supply enough oxygen annually to support a family of four!
• Water originating in our national forests provide drinking water for over 3400 communities, and approximately 60 million individuals.
• One tree can absorb as much carbon in a year as a car produces while driving 26,000 miles.
• Over the course its life, a single tree can absorb one ton of carbon dioxide.
• An average American uses about 750 pounds of paper every year, and 95% of homes are built using wood. That means each person uses the equivalent of one 100 foot tall, 16 inch diameter, tree every year for their paper and wood product needs.
• About one third of the United States of America is covered by forests.
• According to the last forest inventory, there are almost 247 billion trees over 1 inch in diameter in the U.S.
• The average tree in an urban/city area has a life expectancy of only 8 years.
• The tallest tree in the country is a Coast Redwood growing in northern California's Redwood National Park. It is 369 feet tall and over 2000 years old!