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Brooksyne Weber
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Thursday,
November 10, 2022
Standing inside a Redwood tree
Notice the charred bark on the
tree, especially to the left
Click on photo to
enlarge
Lessons
From The Redwood Tree
(Part
1)
"Tested
By Fire"
Message
summary: We will all, in
various ways, be tested by
fire. May God give us His
assurance that these
trials, in whatever form
they appear "may be found
to result in praise and
glory and honor at the
revelation of Jesus
Christ".
Listen"Blessed
be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to His great
mercy, He has caused us to
be born again to a living
hope through the
resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to
an inheritance that is
imperishable, undefiled,
and unfading, kept in
heaven for you, who by
God's power are being
guarded through faith for
a salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice,
though now for a little
while, if necessary, you
have been grieved by
various trials, so that
the tested genuineness of
your faith—more precious
than gold that perishes
though it is tested by
fire—may be found to
result in praise and glory
and honor at the
revelation of Jesus
Christ. Though you have
not seen Him, you love
Him. Though you do not now
see Him, you believe in
Him and rejoice with joy
that is inexpressible and
filled with glory,
obtaining the outcome of
your faith, the salvation
of your souls" (1 Peter
1:3-9).
Yesterday
we shared a message about
the fading and falling
leaves in our front lawn,
primarily from our two large
oak trees. Today we will
share about a visit my
brother and I made last week
to a grove of much larger
trees when we visited a
stand of Redwoods near Santa
Cruz, California. These
trees comparatively make our
oaks seem quite small!
These
giant trees are in the Henry
Cowell Redwoods State Park,
a relatively small preserve
not far from San Francisco
(a day trip drive for us).
There is a loop walking
trail through the grove that
is less than a mile long so
you see a lot in a short
distance.
One
thing (among several) I
learned is that redwoods are
resistant to fire. The park
guide states,
The
sequoia sempervirens,
the ever-living redwood, is
another name for the coast
redwood. Its many survival
adaptations include thick
bark, long roots, and its
extraordinary height. Tannic
acid within redwood bark
gives it a rich cinnamon red
color while providing
defense against insects,
fungus, and even fire.
Almost indestructible, these
huge trees persistently
survive while battling the
natural elements.
"More
than 100 years have passed
since the last forest fire
burned through here. Most
fires cannot penetrate the
thick fibrous and almost
fire resistant redwood bark.
An intense fire may burn
through the bark and hollow
out a tree, but, if enough
living tissue remains
unharmed, the tree, like
this one, continues to live
and slowly heal its fire
scars." (I am standing
in the hollow of this tree
in the above photo, notice
also the burn marks.)
These
trees have certainly been "tested
by fire" which is a
phrase in our daily
Scripture text from 1 Peter.
In this context the fire is
analogous to the various
trials the believers were
enduring. Although the early
church surely had some of
the same kinds of trials we
have such as illness,
worries about provision,
family struggles, etc. most
likely this was referring to
various forms of
persecution.
Late
in the same book Peter
wrote, "Beloved, do not
be surprised at the fiery
trial when it comes upon
you to test you, as though
something strange were
happening to you" (1
Peter 4:12).
J.
Vernon McGee wrote, "When
God tests us today, He puts
us into the furnace. He
doesn’t do that to destroy
us or to hurt or harm us.
But He wants pure gold, and
that is the way He will get
it. He tries to teach us
this through our trials. He
is drawing us closer to
Him."
We
will all, in various ways,
be tested by fire. May God
give us His assurance that
these trials, in whatever
form they appear, "may
be found to result in
praise and glory and honor
at the revelation of Jesus
Christ".
Be encouraged
today, (Hebrews
3:13)
Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
help us to be moved by the plight of
those who are suffering loss and even
laying down their lives for the sake
of Christ. We remember those in
persecuted lands who have suffered
loss physically, structurally or
materially or all three. Through Your
miraculous intervention evil can be
exchanged for good when we earnestly
pray for Your purpose to prevail even
in such mayhem and loss. We can have
joy in our hearts even though we may
endure many trials for a little while,
for these trials will show whether or
not our faith is genuine. Our hearts
are being tested as fire tests and
purifies gold – though our faith in
Christ is far more precious than mere
gold. We want to remain strong through
our trials so that it will bring You
much praise, glory and honor on the
day when Jesus Christ is revealed to
the whole world. Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"Blessings"
Video Joni
Eareckson Tada and Laura Story
"He
Will Hold Me Fast: Prayer for Peace"
Video
(Sung in Ukrainian, Russian &
English) w/Joni Eareckson Tada
Henry Cowell Redwoods
State Park is most famous for the
40-acre grove of towering old-growth
redwood trees.
This Redwood tree is known
as "The Giant" and is the largest in
the park rising to 270 feet (25
stories) and over 17 feet wide. I had
my brother Pat stand in front of it
for perspective. I didn't get back
from it far enough to show the entire
height.
Click on photo to
enlarge
How would you like to have a
complexion like this? The profusion of
bumpy growths on this redwood tree are
burls which are harmless to the tree.
Click on photo to
enlarge
The coastal highway south of
Pacifica, CA
The
Pigeon Point Light Station is along the
coastal highway
On
the way back to the city we drove by and
visited the visitor's center at the
massive Apple Headquarters. The office
building is in the form of a round disk.
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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