Peter N Millward

The Giant Redwood - Sequoia

The Giant Redwood - Sequoia

A giant Redwood forest can teach us much about the Kingdom of God and our relationship with Christ. Even though the seeds of a giant redwood are very small......contained within that one tiny seed is the potential to grow to heights of over 350 ft and have a circumference of 26 ft. The mighty Sequoia is the largest tree in existence and the oldest. There is even a sequoia estimated to be around 3,500 years old! Its normal - The creator designed them for this.

What Church should be like......

Some amazing facts Giant Redwoods are relational...there root system curiously does not go too deep only 6 - 12 ft but the roots go out in all directions and entwine in the root systems of all the other sequoias....making for an incredibly strong base for each tree. They stand strong unified supporting each other. When storms and high winds occur they pass by leaving the sequoia unchanged. The trees literally hold each other together. Only redwoods have the strength to support other redwoods.

Trials and testings.....

Forest fires that pass through from time to time....bring new life and benefit the trees clearing the forest floor for new growth. A true sequoia will withstand the heat.....other types of trees are burned. The heat actually open up sequoia cones lying on the forest floor, releasing seeds to take root and grow.

Being what God created us to be....

One of the most amazing aspects of these amazing trees is they actually change the environment where they grow by being what they were meant to be. The church has this potential when its members live out their calling in Christ - They change the world around them by being what they were meant to be.

Create their own environment

On a really hot day those who have walked through a forest of Redwoods know the quiet majestic presence....the satisfying coolness. While outside only exists heat, wind and noise. But within this forest, sequoias have their own environment - the reality of who they are.

From a distance these majestic trees beckon us to consider our calling in Christ.....

Potential for growth

In Christ we have all been born again to become more than we could ever imagine - to be what we were meant to be should be our dream and longing. The plan God had all along for our lives.....do we live in the good of this? - Have we pursued it with all our hearts and searched for it like gold till we will find it? Do we get diverted? If we seek God, study the scriptures and obey His word we will be on course to find what God always intended for our lives.

Examples

Throughout the history of the church, we see ordinary Christians do extraordinary things - and blessed the world over through Christ - Even today we live in the shadow of their influence, they changed their environment by being who God created them to reach their full stature in Christ. William Tyndale, Hudson Taylor, William Cary, General William Booth, George Muller, Amy Carmichael, Corrie Ten Boom. To name just a few.....They lived exceptional lives that made a difference...and that is what God wants and longs for each one of us. We can start by accepting the plan God has for our lives if we are willing to accept. Through prayer and seeking God - Give up our plans and ambitions and embrace His - The one who is worthy of our lives - the Lord Jesus Christ.

Not reaching our full stature in Christ

Bonsai trees, those tiny miniature trees cultivated and developed to grow in shallow pots. They need constant care. Just the right amount of water. and constant trimming. They have to grow in a controlled environment artificially....These trees always had the potential, the same capacity to reach the height and breadth they were meant to be...Even a sequoia placed in a bonsai pot can remain a miniature. But if these trees were suddenly placed in their natural environment they would quickly wilt and die…...

Pot bound - We may limit ourselves by not believing what God says about us in Christ. (If we are in Christ. If in doubt check what the scriptures say about being a Christian) If we substitute His Word for our own expectations instead of Christs expectations for our life we have already fallen short. Our family expectations, our peers expectations...even religious expectations, traditions and passivity can interfere and cause us to stumble. Being bound by fear can cause us to miss out on God's best. God destined us in Christ to make an impact in this world.....to change the world and lives for the better. If we are not.... then why not? Study the scriptures, pray and seek God..... and find out!

Take a look at those stately sequoias let them speak to us of our destiny in Christ - Being who God always intended us to be in Christ.

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" Ephesians 4:13