Psalms 92:12-13 ( NKJV )
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Yesterday we addressed the fact that every believer needs to be a part of a local church because we are called together to affect the world for the kingdom of God. The bible calls the church a body and a body must be whole to fully function. If you are not a part of any local body, both you and the body God has placed you in will suffer. My hand, though a part of universal humanity, has no place and no life if it is alone. Hebrews 10 speaks of us being assembled together. If you are not where you belong you cannot be assembled.
Today I want to talk about the benefit to the individual that being in the house of God brings. Again let me say that I believe this is important because the bible teaches it is, not because I am trying to build a following or fill the chairs in my church. In the verse above we see another reason why. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord flourish. Those who are not do not. It’s just that simple.
Now you might say, "I have been going to church for years and I don’t seem to be flourishing.” It didn’t say that those who go to church flourish. It said those that are planted flourish. What does it mean to be planted? First of all it means there are roots. Something that is planted is dug into the ground where it is. There is a vital connection between that ground and the thing planted. The ground provides nourishment and sustenance to the plant. The water that gives life to the plant comes from the ground it is planted in. Even if there is plenty of rain a plant with no root can not live. It has no way to receive the life in the water. It needs the ground
On the other hand the root system of the plants stabilize the ground keeping it in place on hillsides and during times of flood. This is vital for the ground. A few years ago we had two unusually strong floods. There are many hillsides next to roads in this area. Some of them have a few trees on them but no grass or brush. The root system of the trees was shallow to begin with and when the flood waters began to flow down the hill the topsoil and many of the trees went with it. There was tremendous damage because the trees were not firmly planted and the soil was not held in place by sufficient vegetation.
Another characteristic of the relationship of soil and plants is that some plants leave in the soil what others need. In this way the soil nourishes the plants, but the plants provide some of what the soil needs to do it’s job. What a beautiful example of what a local church should be.
There is one more thing about being planted, however. Plants don’t move. Roots are not like legs. They do not provide mobility. If there is a drought the plants do not say, “I think I’ll go to greener pastures.” The plants and the soil are committed to one another. They will nourish each other through hard times and good times. They will continue in their relationship until they are destroyed or until the Lord comes.
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord will flourish. That doesn’t mean there will never be problems. That doesn’t mean you will always have everything you want or even need. It does mean you will accomplish what God has for your life. It does mean that in good times and bad you will have peace. It does mean that mean that you will never be alone. It means that someone will be with you to protect you and help you through whatever you face. It also means you will be there for others when they face difficulties. Isn’t that what life is really about?
Get planted somewhere. However, remember that this is the garden of the Lord. To really flourish you need to planted where God plants you. Seek Him. If you are in a good church and you believe God has placed you there, stay. Put down roots. Don’t be afraid. If you are not, then really seek God as to where your field is. Once you find it put down those roots and don’t let anyone pull you up. Not even you!!!!!
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