fitful shower in a land of drought, but God provides our spiritual re freshment day by day. Then, not only are you planted, tended, and nourished by the rivers of. water, the result is that you will bring forth His fruit in His season. In II Timothy 4 :2 it is stated that we CROWNED OR CRUCIFIED? I stood alone at the bar of God In the hush of the twilight dim, And faced the question that pierced my heart: What will you do with Him? Crowned or crucified? Which shall it be? No other choice has offered to me. I looked on the face so marred with tears That were shed in His agony; The look in His kind eyes broke my heart, 'Twas so full of love for me. “The crown or the cross,” it seemed to say; “For or against me choose thou today!” He held out His loving hands to me, While He pleadingly said, “Obey! Make me thy choice, for I love thee so." And I could not say Him nay. Crowned, not crucified; this must it be! No other way was open to me. I knelt in tears at the feet of Christ, In the hush of the twilight dim, And all that I was or hoped or sought, I surrendered unto Him. Crowned, not crucified! My heart shall know. No King but Christ, who loveth me so! are to be “instant in season, out of season.” I’m ashamed to admit that I discovered just this past week that this verse doesn’t say, “Be instant in season and out of season.” The word and is not there. The testimony is rather, “Be instant in season, out of season.” Let me put it this way. 11
only went in half way to the heart of the tree. The tremendous support, 75 feet out, weighing 2000 pounds, was given to that limb as a result of its connection with the heart of the tree. He said, “You know, trees are so wonderful, only God can make one. And, in that same way, only the Lord can make a Christian life. Our burdens, no matter how heavy they may be, no matter how long they may have been stretched out, they can be borne just as long as we are in tertwined with the heart of God.” That was a beautiful illustration this dear saint gave me. The usual Hebrew word for plant ed is not used here. It’s a completely different term which means to firm ly entrench, to be deeply implanted. This is exactly what the Psalmist is talking about. The placement of the tree has a real purpose behind it. It wasn’t a seed that was thrown aside in the yard, beginning to grow or a volunteer basis. There was a specific design given to it. In Mat thew 15:13 there is the reminder of our Lord’s words, “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” Have you, by faith in the Saviour, been planted by God? Only those who are thus planted by God will be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Now look at where that tree is privileged to send down its roots: by the rivers of water. Let’s think of your life for a moment which we trust does indeed resemble a tree that is planted. The tree is in the singular tense and the rivers are in the plural. Here’s the blessed lesson: there is but one tree, but there are many rivers. There is only one you; you have only one life, but God has provided many, many rivers with which He will supply your spiritual nourishment. If one of the rivers should fail, or dry up, another chan nel will be opened for you. We are not dependent, as believers, on some
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