Day 4

 

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil.1:6

Why would an old man plant a row of trees in his front yard that he will never enjoy in his lifetime?

Someone asked this question recently as they taught on principles of leadership.  Leaders invest in the next generation. Leaders can see beyond the current situation to build for what’s coming next.

When I read Philippians 1:6, I ask myself, “What is my role in the ‘carry it on to completion’ part of the verse? How can what I am doing right now bring fruit for the generations to come? How can I be like the old man who has the foresight to plant a tree and care for it even though I will never see the fruit or the shade of that tree?

I have to admit my thoughts are often in the ‘now’ and often revolve around me.  The day to day tasks seem like enough! I fail to look ahead and ponder my role in the future generations of the church. It’s hard to get my heart to focus there as well. But I want to be a tree-planter. I want to participate with God in the completion of His good work until Jesus’ return!  And so, I must make a change! I look around and I see the trees surrounding me:

Someone, somewhere, had a grand-enough vision of tomorrow that stirred them to plant a tree that they would never see, to love a generation they would never know.

Dear Father,

I praise You for the work You are doing on earth.  I praise You that You know what is to come and you continually work towards that day, using people just like me to accomplish your will. Give me a heart that is softened towards Your plan for the future. Give me a vision for how I can advance Your kingdom and help the next generation of followers to love You as well. Help me to see beyond the circumstances of today so that I may be a tree-planter for tomorrow.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.                                          

-Leah Carolan