by Wade E Taylor
“And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” I Corinthians 2:3-5
If the life of our Lord is to be seen through our lives, there is a reduction of all human abilities that must first take place.
“Another parable put He forth to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” Matthew 13:31-32
Being the “least” of all seeds, this mustard seed, which is likened to the Kingdom of Heaven, is so small that the natural eye can barely see it. The Kingdom of God being like the smallest of seeds tells us that it is not “how much” we have that is important, but rather, what we “do” with what we have.
“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that hears the word, and understands it; which also bears fruit, and brings forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:23
This “seed” that is sown within us is our potential, or that which we are capable of becoming (good ground). All that the Lord looks for and needs is our “willingness,” or heart “obedience.”
“If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” Isaiah 1:19
When this mustard seed is grown, it becomes the greatest among herbs. This herb is “medicinal” and its value is received only after it is crushed or ground. This relates to the “good works” of Ephesians 2:10. These “good works” refer to the method, or process which the Lord uses to reduce our self-life to zero, and produce within us that which He can use for His purposes.
Our becoming “medicinal” means that we have come to the end of all seeking for self-satisfaction and fulfillment. Instead, we have submitted ourselves to the will and purposes of the Lord and we are living for the benefit of others. It is not easy for any of us to give up the right to our own life experience – our being able to go and do as we desire. For this to happen, we must go through severe dealings, just as this “herb” is ground and boiled to become medicinal.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
Our being “His workmanship” (the product that He is producing) means that we have given the Lord the right and permission to produce within us the ability to release spiritual life into another, through anointed impartation. Just as Jesus gave Himself for us, we are also to give ourselves for others.
“When it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becomes a tree.” An herb is a bush. Through divine intervention, this herb has now become a tree. To be changed from an herb to a tree is a “mutation,” a transformation from one realm of being into a higher realm of spiritual life. Only the Lord can do this. A mutation from one realm into another has never happened in nature. For example, a rock becoming a living tree, or a nominal Christian becoming a part of His Bride.
This transformation from our being an herb into being a tree is the result of the “good works” – the things (the tools) that the Lord will use to accomplish His purpose within us. We simply need to place ourselves in the hands of the Lord, and give Him permission to do whatever may be necessary to cause us to become that which He desires (His Bride). To a person who is submitted and committed, there is no such thing as secular or spiritual. Everything in our lives becomes important and has a purpose.
As the value of an herb results from its being ground or pulverized, so also, through His dealings and processes, we are being raised up to rule. Therefore, there must be transitional dealings to remove all that relates to our self-life. Only then can the manifestation of the government of God be seen through us as being a righteous government. It will take these “good works” to transform the “herb” (us) into this end-time witness.
If we have become this tree, we will be planted by the River of Life with direct contact with Jesus, the Tree of Life. We will have all manner of fruit for the healing of the nations, and there will be within us, a stability and strength that others can lean upon and trust.
Here, we will receive from Him, and we will have “life” (divine substance) to impart to others. When we become this tree, others (birds) will come and lodge in the branches of our experience (our personal relationship and walk with the Lord). The spiritually young, the needy, the fearful, all those who need healing – these will all come and lodge in the branches of our spiritual life experience, because they sense that we have something to give.
At this present time, the Lord has intensified the process of making a people ready. When the “herb” – that we presently are, has become a “tree of life” (His life being revealed through our lives), we will have become that which the Lord desired us to be.
It has been said that if we have the “goods” (the substance of God within us), others will find us and come to lodge in the branches of our experience.
“I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me… that I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.” Proverbs 8:17, 21
This “substance” is the very life of our Lord imparted into our lives, and then through us into the lives of others.
“He gives power (substance) to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31
We cannot give what we do not have.
To receive, we must spend time in His presence and allow the “seed” of His eternal purpose to be planted within us.