~Oaks of Righteousness

Down the road from my house where I like to take long walks, there are several enormous oak trees. I have admired their glory during every seasonal change. I have also thought about their root systems which must be at least as sprawling as their visible parts.    One night a tornado blew over our town. The next morning there was debris in all our yards. When I walked down the road where the trees are, I could see that several of them had been blown down. I couldn't believe it! They had stood through decades of all kinds of weather. Drawing closer however, the problem with the trees became quite obvious. I could see the center of the tree trunks as they lay on their sides. Decay had spread throughout the heart of all the trees that wereknocked down by the wind. On the outside, one would never have guessed that the majestic oaks were decaying from within, but when the strong winds came they were blown over quite easily because of it.   You might be a very good person. You may not steal or cheat. You may even be a member of a church and do many good things to help others. But, if we keep the whole law and yet miss it in one point, we are guilty of breaking all of the law. (James 2:10) The Bible calls breaking God’s law "sin", and sin is like decay. It is not deeds God is looking at as much as He is looking at our hearts. He knows that the right kind of deeds will come out of a heart that is right with Him.    God offers us a new heart ( Ezekiel 36:26-27) and a new life. ( 2 Corinthians 5:17) And when that comes about, guess what He calls us? "So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:3)   Want a new heart? He will give you one today. back to Keepsakes Home