Like A Cedar In Lebanon

The cedar tree is mentioned some 75 times in the text of the Bible. The cedar trees in Lebanon were, at one time, the most prominent in the world.

In Psalms 92, the Bible says:

The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of
sap and green...
Psalms 92:12-14

The wood, bark, cones, and even the leaves were saturated with resin. The inside, or "heart," had a reddish cedar color, and the exterior was whitish.

King Solomon selected these famous trees for the construction of many of his famous structures, especially in the Temple (1 Kings 6:15). Scripture refers to them as "lofty and lifted up" (Isaiah 2:13, ESV). In a symbolic way, the great cedars of Lebanon suggest grandeur, beauty, power, and majesty. Given the physical makeup, there are several loose spiritual applications we can make from this tree:

1. The heart is a reddish color, bringing to mind a heart that has been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God, -- Jesus Christ.
2. The exterior is a whitish color, making us think about a life holy and without blame.
3. The wood, bark, cones, and leaves are filled with resin (the sap of life), which calls to our remembrance our commitment to present our whole bodies as living sacrifices, filled with the Spirit of life.
4. The cedar of Lebanon is tall, stately, and very beautiful to behold, symbolic of one's stand for the Lord, reflecting and projecting His beauty.

While I would certainly hesitate to say these allusions are inherent in the text, understanding the makeup of the great cedars of Lebanon is very helpful in reminding us of these fundamental spiritual truths.

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Habits Are At The Heart

Habits are either bobbers or sinkers, corks or lead. They hold you up or pull you down. With eternity in view, it behooves you and me to consider our current habits in every facet of life. It helps to contemplate how habits are formed. The following is what I believe to be an accurate description of the process:

Thoughts become words.
Words become actions.
Actions become habits.
Habits become character.
Character is everything.

Notice the similarities between this progression and the following progression found in the book of Proverbs:

Keep your heart [thoughts] with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech [words], and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet [actions]; then all your ways will be sure [habits]. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Proverbs 4:23-27, ESV

It's no secret, friend; your habits and mind originate within the heart. My habits determine my character, and my character determines who I serve -- self and Satan, or Christ the righteous. So work on your heart today, friend. It is the vehicle that is moving you toward your eternal dwelling place -- wherever that may be.

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