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And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11-12)
I grew up on a small farm in central Wisconsin. The house we lived in was surrounded by trees. On one side of the house stood a row of pine trees, tall and majestic. They also provided protection from the weather and the windbreak during the cold winter months. In the yard between the house and the barn grew a willow tree. Its shimmering leaves brought beauty to the dusty driveway and the farm building surrounding it. We had an apple orchard off to the other side of the house with about a dozen trees.
My mom made applesauce from the apples with an old canning set. I had fun climbing those trees and eating a few apples while doing so. We also had a plum tree. The plums weren’t like the big ones in the grocery stores today. They were small and narrow. But on a late summer day, those plums were just the snack I needed. The trees provided beauty, protection, food, enjoyment, and happy memories. Those trees were doing just what God had created them to do. On the third day of creation, God created vegetation and specifically trees. They were to produce fruit and God saw that they were good. But something awful happened in that garden where the first people, Adam and Eve, lived. One tree came with a warning, its fruit was not to be eaten. To do so would bring evil into the world, but they did anyway.
And now a curse runs through this world infecting all of creation, infecting everyone who now lives. The Bible will speak of this in terms of good and bad fruit. Jesus uses trees to talk about what people will do. He says good trees bring forth healthy fruit, but the diseased tree brings forth bad fruit. What is the bad fruit that grows in our lives? Anger, hatred, greed, cruelty, callousness, ugly behaviors, drinking too much, and misuse of God’s gift of sexuality are just a few. Yet God has not abandoned us. One tree tells us this. The apostle Peter writes in the Bible, Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24a). Jesus undoes the curse. He takes the punishment, the penalty, the evil, the consequences of that first sin in the Garden of Eden for us and from us.
His wounds heal us. His death gives us life. He is abandoned by God and the tree of the cross so that we could be right in God’s eyes. He rose from the dead to give life and salvation. Trees tell us the story of God’s love. At Christmastime, we put up Christmas trees, and they are covered with precious ornaments to remind us of Jesus’ birth. The church has a baptismal font, an altar, a pulpit, and lectern where Jesus comes to us and calls us His children. Every time we see a cross, we can look up and believe we are right with God, and more. We are to live for Him. As Peter says, we are to live to righteousness. Now part of that righteousness is to bear good fruit, like love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, self-control, faithfulness, and kindness. But it also means to take care of God’s creation, especially the trees, just as Adam and Eve were to do in that first garden.
When I was in high school, the very first Earth Day was held. It was April 1970. We were bused to a nearby county park, heard about nature, and given a little pine sapling. Now what would those of us who grew up in a rural life do with another tree? I brought it home and forgot about it. My mom did not. She planted it. She cared for it. One day I came home after college and noticed that the tree had grown tall and full, filled with life. As I think about that memory, I realized my mom was living out that life of righteousness toward God’s creation. She planted a tree, she cared for it. It was the right thing, the fruitful thing to do. We need to do the same. Perhaps plant a tree in memory of someone special or a special occasion. Take care of trees when the opportunity arises or simply look at trees and give thanks for them.
Why? Because God says trees are very good, and they tell us the story of His love in Jesus for us and all creation.
WE PRAY: Let us pray. Dear God, thank You for the trees. They give us life and beauty and joy, and the tree of the cross gives us life and salvation with You. We thank You for Jesus and the cross. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Glenn Nielsen.
Reflection Questions:
- Did you have a tree—perhaps even a favorite tree—that you enjoyed playing in or around when you grew up? If so, where did you live and what kind of tree was it?
- In what ways do you think God sees trees as good? Can you name a few ways that trees are helpful to mankind?
- Read about how a righteous person is like a healthy tree in Psalm 1. What’s your view on what verse 3 is telling us?
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