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In my walk with the Lord, I have heard quite a bit about seeds and olives. Personally I love the imagery we get from both of these in the Bible. I also love being able to see it in my own life. Fun fact, seeds are talked about 300 times in the Bible and olives are spoken 57 times. The first time both of these are mentioned in the Bible is in the book of Genesis. Yep, that’s right. In the very first book of the Bible, the Lord starts scattering seed. He also uses an olive branch to bring a hope of new life. If we were to truly dive deeper into both of these, not only in the bible, but also in their natural forms, we would start to see all of the intricate details. These details would shine a candle of light on God, the Creator. In Romans 1:20, the Apostle Paul says, “For since the creation of the world, God’s invincible qualities, His internal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuses.” Isn’t that beautiful? Our Creator didn’t just create us. He also took time to add all these little details to our world. As a result, we might learn something about Him. What a loving and considerate God we have in Jesus. In light of this new perspective, let’s take a moment and accept this small gift of details. As a lover of olive oil, I believe it’s only right to start with olives. There is so much we can learn from the olive itself. It starts as a flower, representing beauty. and under pressure, it produces an oil worthy of anointing kings. However, today I would prefer to look at trees. There is so much we can learn from these trees. Amazingly, the oldest tree is between 2,000 and 4,000 years old. This makes it the third oldest tree in the world. It is located in Crete, Greece. Interestingly, this is the same island woven in and out of the Bible, from Deuteronomy to the Book of Titus. Here, the Apostle Paul encourages his brother of faith in leading the church on the island of Crete. In the Book of Acts, we can get a glimpse of the storms that crossed this island’s harbor almost 2000 years ago. We can also learn so much in our world today. Yet, it is still standing and producing olives that are sold as oil and table-eating olives today. So what attributes can we discover that God created for the olive tree? From what we have already learned, we can gather resilience would be one. Let’s look a little closer at that one. Let’s start our journey with its resilience to the climate. What can it actually withstand? Surprisingly enough a mature olive tree can survive temps as low as 15 degrees, Eek! my bones shiver at the thought. We unfold more information from looking at the heat side. We discover that the olive tree can tolerate temps up to 104 degrees. Nevertheless, when they exceed 95 degrees-97 degrees, they develop a defense mechanism. How amazing that God created the olive tree to instinctively develop this defense mechanism! He also built a similar one in us. We call ours “fight or flight”. Here we can also learn about it in different scientific fields. These include plant physiology and ecology. Feel free to explore it on your own and see what God reveals to you. God bless you. Instead let’s turn towards the question, why does it develop this defense mechanism? Stress is the answer we find, how more beautiful that we even share the common trigger, a drought! A drought can be physical or emotional. The Oxford dictionary defines it in two ways 1. a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall 2. Thirst, note that you’ll see it later. When we look at the olive tree, we can see its reaction to a physical drought. Our drought is spiritual. Let’s journey. When the tree is in a drought, it starts by reducing leaf transpiration. Then it sheds leaves and stops producing fruit. It also sheds the fruit that has already been produced. It will begin to deepen its roots further underground in search for water, some up to 20ft. I’m in absolute awe of this reaction. God didn’t create this tree to simply stand tall. Just as he didn’t create us to take everything upon ourselves either. This is what the enemy will have you think, but Jesus tells us different in Matthew 11:29 where he says “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Now if you are anything like me, when you heard this you pictured an egg. Because that is what our human brains do, we lean into the understanding of our time and our culture. So for all my fellow egg people out there, let me explain. A yoke is a wooden beam. It is hand-carved to fit the neck and shoulder of two oxen. This prevents pain or discomfort. It allows them to pull a plow or a heavy load together. So what Jesus is saying is this is not a burden of bondage, but the building of a relationship through trust and guidance. This is where we find peace and rest. How do we do this? We submit to him every single day, in every single way. Just like the olive tree, we might be in a drought. Let me tell you, friend, when we find ourselves in a drought, we become significantly more vulnerable to the lies, deception, and temptations of our enemy. So ask yourself, what are you rooted in? Are those roots strong enough to withstand the temperatures? Can they pull living water from bare and dry ground? Can they go through the fire and bring you back to life? Because in John 4:14 Jesus says “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Just like the olive tree, we need to stretch our roots during a drought. We should search for the source that can sustain us. It will help us through any fire that might be on the horizon. Jesus never said our lives would be easy, no, instead he said the opposite. He plainly says we will have tribulations, this even applies when life feels empty, dry, or like a raging fire. This doesn’t mean that we give up! So how can we begin to tell if we are in a drought? Let’s use what we have learned from the olive tree; temperatures, defense, shedding and the loss of fruit. Take a moment and do a self examination, are the temperatures of our hearts unbalanced towards the Lord? Do we feel like we are always in defense mode? Do we bear any fruit of the spirit or have they all fallen away? Have we let go of trying to hear the Lord’s voice through his word? When our worlds are falling apart, what is it we are trying to grab a hold of? Friend if it’s not Jesus, then I have to say there is a dire need of repentance. Just as an olive tree burns in a fire, the sins in your life are burning you from the inside out. But if you turn to Jesus, he will properly care for you. Friend a fire doesn’t have to mean death the Lord can and is willing to save and purify us. Yes he will need to cut off some branches, prune some things. It will be uncomfortable, but you will not be alone! I can say with confidence that whatever the fire has taken, God will restore. It will be even better than before. Let me share with you. The olive tree has taken us on a journey through resilience and droughts. Despite this, it actually represents peace and hope. An olive tree can suffer extensive damage from a fire. Sometimes it becomes so damaged that it has to be cut down to just above the root. Yep, that’s right, the whole tree is gone! Yet it will grow back. You see, I said just above the roots. On the stump or base it will sprout a new shoot. This shoot can develop into a new tree. Just like the olive tree, Jesus can bring new life. In John 11:25 Jesus says “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die”. In closing, let me remind you, in Genesis, God sent a dove to one single man on an ark. He was surrounded by nothing but water. There was no hope in sight. Until the dove arrived with an olive branch in its beak. A single branch that spoke of hope, new land, new life and new promises. Because that’s the God we serve, when everything seems hopeless and lost he sends a dove with a branch.(Gen. 8:10-11) This same branch comes from the same exact type of tree that would later surround his only son in a garden full of them. This very night in Gethsemane, his son would experience profound anguish and sorrow. He would pray to the father, to take his cup of suffering too. Yet, despite all he was experiencing and about to endure, he still submitted to the will of God. He did this because he knew who he was submitting to. Jesus submitted fully to the will of God. This action paid for our sins in full. It built a bridge to the Father’s presence. It gives us the gift of eternal life. (Luke 22:39-46) God sent a single man a dove but to the world he sent his son. Praise the Lord!

Prayer- I would like to leave this prayer for anyone who wants to recommit their life to the Lord. It is also for those taking this step for the first time. I personally would like to say Thank you for choosing Jesus, he is worthy!

Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins and surrender my life. Wash me clean. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That he died on the cross for my sins and rose again on the third day for my Victory, I believe that in my heart and make confession with my mouth, that Jesus is my Savior and Lord In Jesus name Amen