July 7, 2025 -Another Tree - Planted in The House of The Lord

PSALM 92

PSALM 93

PSALM 94

PSALM 95

PSALM 96

PSALM 97

Chronological Bible Readings

Psalm 92:12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

    they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

13 planted in the house of the Lord,

    they will flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They will still bear fruit in old age,

    they will stay fresh and green,

15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;

    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Another tree that is flourishing. Even in old age it bears fruit and does not wither. It is still fresh and green. I am coming to really appreciate the AI overviews on Google tree planted in the house of the Lord. I think we need to know the difference between a Cedar of Lebanon and a palm tree. "A Cedar of Lebanon and a palm tree, differ significantly in appearance and characteristics. Cedars of Lebanon are large, evergreen conifers known for their majestic size, horizontal branching, and long lifespan, while palm trees are typically tall, single-trunked trees with large fronds, often associated with tropical or subtropical climates." This tree is growing and functioning outside what anyone would think it could do. The righteous flourish like this palm tree. The overview of a righteous person from the Psalms is "someone who aligns their life with God's will, characterized by integrity, obedience to His law, and a life of justice and compassion. They are those who trust in God, delight in His law, and seek to live a blameless life. While acknowledging their own sinfulness, they pursue righteousness as a gift from God."

The only way to live a righteous life is to stay connected to God. That is why the psalmist would have the palm tree planted in the house of the Lord. Jesus also taught us that importance of us staying connected to Him.

Isaiah 11:1 NIV

[1] A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

Jesus is the shoot that came up out of the stump of Jesse. His roots are directly connected to the source of all life and when we put our faith in Him, we become a branch connected to the source through Him and through Him we will bear fruit.

John 15:1-6 NIV

[1] “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] 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. [3] You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. [5] “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

We must stay connected to Jesus because it is only through our connection to Him that we can bear fruit. Sometimes we will go through difficulties that may be painful because there are things in our live that need to be removed in order for us to be more fruitful. But as long as we are being nourished by the vine the pruning of our lives will result in us flourishing. We will be fresh and green and bearing fruit even in our old age.

There is never a person that God cannot use for His Glory. No matter how old or how young. How strong or how weak. Paralyzed or perfectly physically fit. All that is needed is to be planted by streams of living water, be a palm tree planted in the house of the Lord, be connected to the vine who is the Lord. It's not about us and what we can do. It is all about Jesus and what He has done. If we remain in Him, we will bear much good fruit. We will grow like this palm tree uncharacteristically different from all the other palm trees not planted in the Lord. We will bear fruit and be useful for things that we would otherwise not be able to do or achieve on our own. We will be continually refreshed, green and fruitful.