[Jesus] answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. (Matthew 5:13)

Did you know that the Bible calls those who believe in Jesus “plantings” or “branches” of the LORD? When Jesus began his ministry he told the Jews that he fulfilled the following prophecy from Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; (Isaiah 61:1-2 KJV)

How many of us then go to Isaiah to find out exactly what else he prophesied concerning this majestic One who fulfilled it? For the next verses describe us, we believers who will obey and walk in our God’s ways. The reason why Jesus came to earth, says Isaiah, was

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:3-11 KJV)

So, consider yourself. Are you a “planting of the LORD?” Concerning this Paul said, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV) Now, having tested yourself and having determined that you are in fact a planting of the LORD, ask now whether you are “a tree of righteousness.” Only trees of righteousness bear fruit worthy of Christ’s Kingdom. Jesus said,

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37, ESV)

These words place responsibility upon each one of us. It is easy to say, “I am of a sinful nature and will always sin. I cannot be perfect.” It is hard to say, “I am of a sinful nature, but I will exercise my will in order to keep my flesh from sinning.” Paul said, “I beat my body and make it my slave.” Does your body enslave you, or do you enslave it? Of course I long for the glorification of my flesh so that I will no longer be subject to the vanities and weaknesses of it, but I cannot allow myself to become enslaved by it. One of Jesus’ most well known parables, the parable of the seeds, deals with these very issues. Consider it afresh in this light.

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:3-9 KJV)

And what does the parable mean? Jesus explained,

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:18-23 KJV)

Perhaps you have heard the word of the kingdom, but never understood it until now. You did not realize that YOU, yes YOU, were the seed that Jesus spoke about here. You did not realize that YOU were to become a “planting of the LORD” and that YOU were to bring forth the fruit of righteousness. The wicked one had been successful in blinding you to that truth. Now, though, you begin to see. Now you can begin to establish roots of faith which will draw upon the water of life (Jesus), and bear fruit to eternal life.

Or, perhaps YOU once walked in the way of the truth, the narrow road toward the Kingdom. But, tribulation or persecution came. Your wife or husband committed adultery and divorced you, you were fired from your job for your faith, etc. In fact life became so difficult after you came to faith that you became offended by the teachings of faith. Consequently your spiritual roots shriveled up and you became as if you were dead grass instead of a living tree. But now, suddenly, faith stirs again, just as “dead” grass stirs after long periods of drought when the rains come again. Now your roots too will begin to grow as you draw upon living water and begin to bear the fruit of righteousness.

And then there are YOU who once walked in the power of the Spirit, but fell into the cares of this world and sinned by indulging in the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, or the pride of your life, whatever form that pride took. Some of you divorced the wife of your youth as you continued to pursue your “ministry” for the LORD. You had not realized that you a poor, pitiful, blind, and naked until now. But now you know that your lusts and proud fornications have utterly entangled your roots and choked the Word of God from becoming fruitful in your life. Even YOU, YOU who knew better, YOU who fell away from the truth (but still believed you were walking in truth), yes even YOU can repent and return to your first love.

God calls each one of us to become trees of righteousness. Even now, even before the great glorification for which we long, we should be bearing fruit. Let your roots grow deep into the Water of Life and before long, just as prophesied, you will begin to bear fruit, even a new crop each month!

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2 KJV)