In Rev. 22:1, John saw “the river of the water of life… flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” John noticed that the leaves of the trees that lined the river’s banks were used for “the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2). What a beautiful picture. We may borrow the picture and apply it to ourselves, for Scripture uses the same symbol to describe the happy person who is planted by the river of God with her roots in the river of life.
Our lives should offer relief from the heat and shelter from the storm to those who need it. People should take one look at our ever green lives and make a beeline for us. Our lives should be full of healing, relief, and balm.
Are your leaves used for healing? You can be a tree of life for others. If I think about my life in recent days and years, I ask myself, “Have people beaten a path to my door because they know where help can be found?” I want to be a tree Like Jeremiah describes with its roots in the river, its leaves ever green, and fruit that never fails.
When I heard about my father’s cancer, I knew the heat was on. Coming from a family with little evangelical background, I knew there would be lots of opportunities to offer my leaves for healing in the days to come. But this was my great test, too! This was my beloved father who was entering the valley of the shadow. I would be struggling with my own huge sense of loss. How could I help others when I needed such a lot of help myself?
The answer was the river, the river of life. Life in the Spirit offered a source of life to me in the very face of death. My job would be to keep my roots in the river, my leaves full of sap, and stay ever green. It was a hard, hot, desert experience for me, but the Spirit of God was sufficient to supply all I needed, not only for myself, but also for others. God was indeed a life-giving spring.
In Christ,
Jill Briscoe
What can you do to help make a difference in the lives of your families, neighbors, or co-workers? How many times do we walk by someone’s troubles without even giving a thought to rolling up our sleeves and getting involved? When’s the last time you shed real tears for the people around you? As Christian women, we are to live a life of compassion and serve others. Love is a servant. Just look at Jesus!
May these devotions on serving others help you grow in in the spirit of servanthood and reaching others for Christ.