Planted for a Purpose

Article written by my sister-in-Christ, Michele Featherson

“He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalms 1:3 NKJV

What an awesome promise! Would you like access to this promise?

Planted to Bear God’s Fruit

Healthy trees provide us with a host of resources – fresh air, shelter, shade, food, building materials, and medicinal products. Visualize yourself as a healthy, planted tree. Are you productive, a safe space, and enhancing the landscape where God has planted you?

If you are a tree, as described in Psalm 1, God has planted you for a purpose – to be a producer. Apple trees produce apples, orange trees produce oranges, and so on. What fruit are you producing?

Trees planted along God’s riverbank produce His type of fruit. The Holy Spirit helps God’s children to produce bountiful fruit. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 NLT.

God created us to love Him and to love others. He wants you and me to blossom in and out of season and to benefit others like a habitat.

Planted for a Purpose: Reflecting on Paul’s Life

After Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, he was radically changed from being a persecutor of Christians to God’s missionary on assignment (Acts 9).

Paul became a planted tree in God’s garden with roots that ran deep into the Lord’s water. His selfless, sold-out heart allowed the Lord to work through him. God shaped Paul to have a loving heart for mankind. Wherever Paul traveled or found himself stationed, he affected the atmosphere in which God had placed him.

“For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.” Philippians 1:21 NLT

Divine Appointments

God had a plan for Paul’s life; what looked like delays, detours, and hardships were all part of a divine plan. Whether he was addressing the Sanhedrin Council, fleeing from one city to another, preaching, disciplining, writing letters, being arrested, shipwrecked, or being under house arrest, it was all for advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was the will of God for Paul to boldly preach the Gospel in every place he was planted and for unbelievers to witness the power of God.

When we live an obedient life unto God, His desires become our desires, and that includes timing, predicaments, and hardships. Remember, it’s all about advancing God’s Kingdom.

What about you? How are you doing where God has planted you? Are you harmoniously serving alongside your co-workers?

Paul’s Co-workers

Paul served alongside multiple co-workers whom he discipled and worked with. Because of their backgrounds or beliefs, some were uprooted from where they lived. What seemed like a harsh punishment turned out to be an opportunity to advance the Gospel.

When Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, they had just been deported from Italy because Claudius Caesar ordered all Jews out of Rome (Acts 18). The couple shared a similar background with Paul as tent makers and eventually worked together to advance the Kingdom of God. Tentmaking provided the financial support Paul needed to continue traveling and teaching both Jews and Greeks about Jesus.

Apollos is another fellow worker who knew of Jesus and eloquently taught others. However, he was not as grounded in the Scriptures as he needed to be. The Scriptures show that God would position Apollos with Priscilla and Aquila. This allowed the couple to explain the way of God more accurately to Apollos (Acts 18:18-28). Knowledge and wisdom make us effective footmen for the Kingdom of God.

Would you like to have access to God’s living water?

We, like Paul, are planted for a purpose. God so loved us, humans, that He sent His son, Jesus, to die for our sins (John 3:16). Jesus, who knew no sin (2 Cor 5:21), bore all our sins on the cross. He was crucified for you and me and resurrected from the dead (Luke 23-24). When we confess and repent of our sins, Jesus uproots us from the dominion of darkness and plants us in His garden (Colossians 1:13-14).

Prayer

If you would like to make Jesus Lord of your life, you can use this simple prayer as a template:

Dear Jesus, I confess I am a sinner who needs You as my Savior. I believe You died on the cross and rose again from the grave. Please forgive me for all my sins, and wash and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Today, I invite You to be the Lord of my life, and I choose to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer, you have been planted in God’s garden. I pray that you will find a Bible-believing and preaching Church so you can continue your journey with Jesus.

Be Blessed,

M. Featherson

About Michele

Michele Featherson is a lover of Jesus Christ, wife to her best friend of 29 years, and mother to two amazing, God-fearing sons. She enjoys breaking Biblical principles down so others can understand and apply them to their lives. Michele is the creator of Michminutes, an Instagram page that offers a daily word of inspiration. She believes that although our lives may be busy, we are never too busy to talk with the Triune God.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

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