Day 17 - Mountains and Trees

Day 17 - Mountains and Trees 

Scripture Reading — Habakkuk 3:17-19; Psalm 1; Jeremiah 17:7, 8; Galatians 5:24; Matthew 7:16-18; 

Mountains

Being a spectator has become a common substitute for the real thing. But transformation never happens unless we climb the mountain ourselves. We have to personally experience the realities of God, not just hear about someone else’s spiritual highs. We must stop being spectators and start climbing. 

In God’s strength we can be like a deer that can leap to the heights. God promises the sure-footed confidence that we need to make it to the top. The endurance developed as we decide to go on when our muscles are aching is character formation at its best. The celebration at the top of the mountain as we behold the breathtaking view together is unparalleled.

Trees

Theologian and Biblical counselor David Powlison developed the model and image of three trees to help us see the process of change (in the back of this devotional, see Appendix DOCUMENT B for an example and DOCUMENT C for the image of the three trees).

A Bad Fruit Tree represents a person’s ungodly responses to the different circumstances of life.  

A Good Fruit Tree represents a person who trusts in the Lord and learns to respond in a godly manner to his problems. God’s redemptive power at work in the heart and renewal by grace enables the person to respond in a godly manner to all circumstances.  

The Cross of Christ.  After describing how bad and good fruits look, we see that it is only through the Gospel that we can renew our minds and transform our lives.

Lord, many of us have become couch potatoes in our Christian life. Transform us into mountain climbers. Keep us rooted in you. Work in our hearts and produce in us the fruit of righteousness as we trust You with our climb. Our strength is in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.