Text:
Genesis 1: 27-31
Memory Verse:
“‘Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;’ and it was so” (Genesis 1:30).
An evergreen tree is any tree that keeps its foliage all year round. Such a tree has the capacity to endure the cold and dry seasons as well as forbear hot or humid temperatures. Most evergreen trees thrive in partial or full sunlight. Though some evergreen trees need occasional pruning
and fertilisation, they do not require a lot of maintenance.
An evergreen tree provides support for the continued existence of God’s creation. It provides food, e.g., the palm tree produces fruits all year round and the pine produces acorns. Birds and winter animals find shelter and the landscape is beautified by the trees throughout the year. Some people can be compared to the evergreen tree. Such people remain relevant and useful to others. For example, Daniel, who was taken as a captive to Babylon, served four kings – Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Cyrus and Darius. Though he started life in Babylon as a slave, he rose to positions of
influence, using the skills and wisdom imparted to him by God to guide the affairs of the nation in which he lived. We can also talk of John, the Apostle, who was the longest living disciple that Jesus had (John 13:23).
The new life in Christ brings freshness, zeal and vitality (2 Corinthians5:17). Just like the green light in the traffic code, you should always be on the ‘Go’. Like the evergreen tree, you should exude a positive outlook which other people find encouraging and stimulating. The evergreen tree is resilient. You must retain your greenness; the world depends on it.
Prayer Points:
1. May I be tough and resilient like the evergreen tree.
2. Lord, give me the grace to be relevant and useful to my neighbours and all I come across.
