Hubby and I are going to be having a few trees taken out in the next few weeks. The tree dude came out last week and tagged the trees which are going to be removed. Now, whenever I stand at my kitchen sink, I see the bright orange tag on the tree just out from my kitchen window … tagged for destruction.
I can’t help but think of the verse: “The Lord knows those who are his.” – 2 Timothy 2:19
Here you can see the tagged tree which is just out from my kitchen window. If you don’t bother to look at its base, this tree seems like a perfectly fine tree. From all “surface” appearances it is growing super tall and blending in as part of the forest.
But if you take a closer look at its foundation … you will notice that this tree sprouted up out of the leftover stump of a “parent” tree. Over the years the “parent” tree has decayed away, leaving the tree up on “stilts” which have grown down to reach the ground below. But the tree is not actually anchored and rooted in the ground.
It is only a matter of time, and this tree will topple. For safety’s sake, it must be taken out.
This tree is a picture of people in life who assume that since their parents or grandparents were religious and had faith, then that automatically means they will get a pass into Heaven as well. The thing is – our parents’ faith won’t gain us access to Heaven. Each person must come to faith in Jesus Christ personally. Each person must make their own personal decision as to what to do about Jesus Christ.
At the end of all time, when Jesus Christ comes back to the earth to set all things right, he knows who are truly his. Everyone who is “growing out of a ‘parent’ tree” will be tagged for destruction.
“When the Son of Man [this is Jesus Christ] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another.” – Matthew 25:31-32
Here you can see another tree which is tagged for destruction. From its base, this tree looks to have a solid foundation.
But if you step back, you will notice that the tall skinny toothpick trunk has absolutely no growth, until the very top … at which point it divides into a double-top.
Here you can see a close-up of the divided double-top.
This tree is very unstable! You can’t really tell in the photo, but the tree is not growing straight – it is leaning towards one side.
The verse comes to mind: “He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” – James 1:8
This tree is a picture of people in life who believe there are many different ways to gain access to Heaven – all religions and all paths will eventually get you there, as long as you are sincere. But the thing is, the Bible is clear that there is only one way to gain access to Heaven – by faith in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus is the one and the only way to Heaven.
At the end of all time, when Jesus Christ comes back to the earth to set all things right, he knows who are truly his. Everyone who is “double-minded” will be tagged for destruction.
Here you can see another tree which is tagged for destruction.
This tree is dead, dead, dead … all the way to the very top! There are dead branches at the very top with no greenery or growth whatsoever. In fact, this tree is so dead, that the woodpeckers have been hard at work doing a preliminary fell-job … if you look just up from the bottom edge of the photo, you can see multiple large woodpecker cavities which are compromising the integrity of this tree. It is only a matter of time, and this tree will topple! For safety’s sake, it must be taken out.
This tree is a picture of those who are spiritually dead. They have never put their faith in Jesus Christ to rescue them from their sin. They have never put their trust in Jesus Christ alone for their entrance into Heaven.
At the end of all time, when Jesus Christ comes back to the earth to set all things right, he knows who are truly his. Everyone who is spiritually dead will be tagged for destruction.
“When the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another. …
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ … Then they will go away to eternal punishment.” – Matthew 25:31-46
Here you can see a tree tagged with a green tag. This tree is not destined for destruction. This tree needs to be pruned.
This tree has a lot of dead growth up in there which, when it falls, could potentially poke a hole in the roof of our garden shed. We don’t want that. So, the dead growth will be pruned away.
Additionally, there is a huge section of this tree which is growing out sideways over our neighbor’s fence and over their property, as you can see here.
That is a lot of weight to be growing at such a sideways angle. Especially over our neighbor’s property – where it could potentially cause damage. That sideways trunk needs to be taken out.
This tree is a picture of those who belong to Jesus – those who have placed their faith and belief in Jesus Christ as the one and only way to Heaven. Those who belong to Jesus, Jesus prunes.
Jesus said: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” – John 15:1-2
Those who belong to Jesus, Jesus prunes. As we live our life, there might be “spiritually dead” branches of our life, all up in the branches of our life. These “spiritually dead” parts of our life could wind up causing lots of harm if not taken out. Jesus prunes away these “spiritually dead” parts of our life.
In our life, there might be areas where we have “strayed away” from the truth … like the sideways section of the tree growing over the fence at an angle. Jesus prunes us! Jesus prunes off that entire section where we have strayed.
“Some people have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” – 1 Timothy 6:10
At the end of all time, when Jesus Christ comes back to the earth to set all things right, he knows who are truly his. Everyone who belongs to him, he will have been “pruning” to make these people more and more like Himself. The goal of a follower of Jesus Christ is to look more and more like Jesus.
“When the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another. …
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” – Matthew 25:31-34
Every single person is “tagged” … either for destruction or for eternal life in Heaven with Jesus.
* “Having believed in Jesus, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” – Ephesians 1:13
* “God set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” – 2 Corinthians 1:22
What “tag” is on the “tree” of your life??
