Read Psalm 1:1-6
“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (v. 3).
Trees need a lot of water. They create the sugars and chemical energies that they need to maintain life and produce fruit through a proce- dure called photosynthesis. This food creation process mostly takes place in the leaves near the top of a tree where the needed sunlight most eas- ily reaches. However, water is also necessary for photosynthesis to take place, and it comes from the roots, often far below the treetop.
A process called transpiration draws water from the roots to the leaves. Water evaporates from the leaves, creating a suction that draws more water upward. As much as ninety percent of the water entering a tree evaporates, leaving just ten percent to aid the photosynthesis process.
However, that water is not lost! Trees play a major role in humidifying the air, helping maintain the rain cycle, and preventing the formation of deserts. Thus trees are beneficial to the earth, not just producing fruit for food, but enabling the vital water cycle that keeps our planet alive.
God wants His people to be fruitful. However, we cannot exert beneficial influence on people around us in our own strength. We must have an inflow from outside ourselves to fuel our fruitfulness. Thus our Heavenly Father plants His followers by rivers of water, providing us with the plentiful resources we need to be fruitful. (Steven Hight)
God fuels us for fruitfulness.
This is the Monday, October 13, 2014 devotional reading of Opening the Word.
Photo credit: "Leaves" by Pug50 used under CC BY 2.0 / Cropped.