Like a Cedar Tree

A small cedar chest is one of the most precious keepsakes I have from my grandmother. It’s a safe place for small valuables and the like. Well over fifty years old now, and yet every time I open it, the unmistakable aroma of cedar greets me.

Cedar trees are legendary for their fragrance but also for their symmetry and height. Many grow to be fifty feet in height, but others can reach one hundred or more feet in height. The natural oils in the wood are lethal to insects and fungus, making it resistant to disease. They grow downward then upward, followed by outward. Cedars grow slow but steady. They start off scrawny but all the while, their roots are growing downward. Once firmly rooted, they grow tall and stately. In time, their branches broaden to make protective hedges against destructive winds. Their oils do not develop until the young trees mature, making them impervious to disease and aromatic.

Scripture says that the righteous man grows like a cedar of Lebanon (Ps. 92:12). If your relationship with Christ is real, spiritual growth is inevitable. Like the cedar, you may see little upward or outward growth as your root system forms. Rooted in the love of Christ you cannot help but grow. As the Holy Spirit fills and daily governs your life, you will be resistant to every temptation of evil and a large extent immune to sin. The fragrance of Christ will be on you, and the influence you carry will advance the Kingdom of God.

Be patient with yourself. Plant yourself in the house of God and grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"The righteous man… will grow like a cedar… Planted in the house of the LORD, They will flourish in the courts of our God."-Psalms 92:12-14