Living in the Spirit
July 13, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 52

But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
for ever and ever.
I will thank you for ever,
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim your name, for it is good. –Psalm 52:8-9

The olive tree, Olea europaea, is very hardy: drought-, disease- and fire-resistant, it can live to a great age. Its root system is robust and capable of regenerating the tree even if the above-ground structure is destroyed. The older the olive tree, the broader and more gnarled the trunk becomes. Many olive trees in the groves around the Mediterranean are said to be hundreds of years old, while an age of 2,000 years is claimed for a number of individual trees; in some cases, this has been scientifically verified.*

Followers of God are called to be like green olive trees. Resilient in all kinds of weather, even if they seem to die from the cold, they regenerate. I find it interesting that they do better in less than perfect soil. Apparently, green olive trees do not know how to deal with nutrient-rich soil. I am not exactly sure what that means in light of the parable of the sower. It may be saying that necessary spiritual nurturing accompanies our call to be conduits of the kingdom of God even when addressing the worst of conditions. It could mean that once we create rich soil, we are not just to rest in it and quit producing quality fruit where it is needed. We should never waste good.

I grew up on a farm, and remember one year in particular after receiving a lot of rain, we had gorgeous tomato plants. While they grew tall with beautiful leaves, only a few flowered. Thus we had very few tomatoes.

Never finished, our work must continue to bear fruit until righteousness is a reality for all of God’s children.

Prayer: Lord, continue to nurture us wherever you plant us. Amen.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive#Ancient_Israel_and_Hebrew_Bible

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.