Two little saplings grew side by side, crossing each other in their growth. In time, the bark of each was wounded as the two rubbed against each other. Then the sap mingled and slowly they became united.
The process continued until they became compacted together. Then the stronger tree began to absorb the weaker. It grew larger and larger, while the other tree grew smaller and smaller, until it began to wither and slowly die. The two trunks can clearly be seen at the base of the tree, but only one tree is visible at the top.
If you are a blood-bought, adopted child of the living God, there was a time when you and Jesus Christ met. The wounds of your penitent heart began to knit with the wounds of His loving heart, and you were united.
WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
Are the two lives still running parallel?
Are you bonded to Him,
or are you still struggling on your own,
trying to grow in your own strength?
Is His sap flowing through you, nourishing you, changing you?
Is the old life diminishing?
Are you so bonded to Him that you (the I, me, mine) have died?
Can the world look at your life and see Jesus Christ?
Or do they still see you and your old nature?
John 15:5
I am the Vine. You are the branches.
2 Corinthians 5:17
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
Old things have gone. All things have become new.
John 3:30
He must increase. I must decrease.
O the bitter shame and sorrow
That a time could ever be
When I let the Saviour’s pity
Plead in vain, and proudly answered,
“ALL of self, and NONE of Thee”
Yet He found me. I beheld Him,
Bleeding on the accursed tree;
Heard Him pray, ‘Forgive them, Father!’
And my wistful heart said faintly,
“SOME of self, and SOME of Thee”
Day by day, His tender mercy,
Healing, helping, full and free,
Sweet and strong, and ah! So patient,
Brought me lower, while I whispered,
“LESS of self, and MORE of Thee”
Higher than the highest heavens,
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lord, Thy love at last has conquered!
Grant me now my supplication:
“NONE of self, and ALL of Thee!”
Theodore Monod
When people look at me, do they see two trees growing side by side?
Or do they see the CHANGE as my ‘tree’ – my life –
became united with Christ, becoming one with Him?
Do they see . . . one life or two?
“NONE of self, and ALL of Christ”?
Thought-stirring as usual, Angela
All I am adds up to zilch if He is not reflected in me.
Blessings
ann
So true Ann – absolutely zilch!
As Mr Anon says -
If there is no fruit in my life, there is no reason for my existence.
Abide in Him! Amen!
Amen! Abiding in Him is the only way. The very same sap that flows through the Vine (Jesus) also flows through the branches (all blood-bought, adopted children of the living God). We need to be thirsty and partake fully of His life.
What an incredibly amazing God!
I guess many of would love to see just how much of Christ we reflect, to see how we really have made a difference. One day all will be revealed, and whilst “knowing how we’ve done” might interest us now – on that day of days our curiosity will melt into insignificance as we consider the wonder of the Saviour.
Stephen, I don’t so much want to see ‘how I’ve done’ because I know it is not *me* but Christ in me who has achieved any good. I do want to know that I have allowed the reflected light, love, mercy and grace of Jesus to shine to others. I praise Him for the privilege and for the results which only HE can achieve.
We serve an incredibly amazing God who delights to work in us and through us to reach others. Yes, on that soon-coming day of days, words will not be able to express our wonder as we worship Him without any distractions and with ALL of our being.
We are one day closer!
As always sister Angela, you bring the “honest truth”… (no side-stepping from you) to all of us, your readers. This post is wonderful! Thank you again
Blessings
Stephanie
Thanks Stephanie. It is easier to present the truth after facing it oneself. I am challenged by what the Lord gives me to write before it reaches anyone else. I cannot post it unless I have responded to the challenge myself.
We serve an incredibly amazing God who continues His work in us, and will continue it until the time we are presented faultless before the throne, clothed only in the righteousnerss of Christ.
We are one day closer!
Reblogged this on My Delight and My Counsellors.
Thank you for the reblog
Love this poem and its message! Oh, I long to be “all of Christ” but fail each day in some small — and sometimes big — ways. However, soon we will be forever with Him, and then we will BE “all of Christ” for eternity!
We all fail miserably at times Anna, but as we look back on our lives we can see His work in us, drawing us closer and closer to the image He desires in us. We have absolute confidence that He will continue His work and that every time we fail, He will draw us back to Himself, renewing us and ‘growing’ us into His own likeness.
We serve an incredibly amazing God who loves us with an everlasting love.
Are you so bonded to Him that you (the I, me, mine) have died? That is the question for today’s society. How many Christians are dying to self and living for Christ? By God’s grace, let us all be honest with ourselves and seek God’s grace to die to our sinful flesh and live for His glory and honor. Thanks for your faithfulness, Angela. may the Lord continue to bless you.
I agree that is the question for today – and has been since Jesus said His followers were ones who took up their cross. His words then would have been clearly understood by those in His hearing, for they knew that anyone who took up a cross was dead – or would soon be dead: sentenced to death with no hope of reprieve.
I am crucified with Christ and as His disciple I am called to reckon myself to be dead indeed to sin and to self. My self will and self desires should be dead and I should desire only His will. How I long for the day (coming soon) when He has perfected His work in me and I shall be truly “like Him” [1 John 3:2] Meanwhile, we live trusting Him and knowing He will continue His work in us.
We are one day closer!
Beautiful post! May people Jesus in us more than in our mere words. God bless you!
~Liz
Sorry, I left out the important word ‘SEE’. May they see our faith in action more than just hear our words about faith.
~Liz
Thanks Shofar. May we always be so submissive to Him that His light shines forth to others without hindrance.
We serve an incredibly amazing God who desires to reach others through us.
So good. You always have such good posts! Love it.
Thank you Lisa. The Lord is so good and always leads and directs me to what He wants posted.
These are good questions Angela. The longer I serve Him the more I long to be consumed by His love.
Amen – and the more we are consumed by His love, the more we experience of Him and we long for more and more.
One of these days, when He has finished His work in me and taken me home, I will know the real joys of “None of self and All of Him”
We are one day closer!
wonderful illustration!
Thanks Gloria.
My desire is to so closely cling to Him that only He will be visible.
Excellent post and what a wonderful teaching tool the two trees are! Thank you so much, Angela, for ministering to us today. Loved the poem at the end too! Sometimes I do still try to grow in my own strength . .. and then wonder why I’m so tired and lacking in joy. duh! He is so faithful to keep embracing me, overtaking me, as I welcome Him and ask for all of Him and none of me! God bless you!
Thanks Debbie. I agree that sometimes it seems as though we never learn. Our amazing God proves His faithfulness over and over again, and yet, unthinkingly, we tend to go our own way, ignoring His ever-present guidance – until we fall flat and fail miserably. What an amazing God that He gently bundles us up again and puts us back on track with Him!
Deb, the poem is an old hymn that we sang often before the introduction of more modern songs.
This is so beautifully written that I am going to share it with the Ladies at my Connect Group this afternoon. We are studying Becoming a Woman of Excellence and what better way than for it to be “none of self and all of thee”.
Thanks Jennifer. How I long for the day when His work in me is finished, He calls me home and I shall be “like Him” [1 John 3:2]
We are one day closer! Until then, I seek to allow Him full control, but I must admit I fail often.