THIS IS THE INDIAN MAHOGANY tree in front of Green Cottage, and taken AFTER a tree 'hacker', under pretense of 'saving' the tree from the Parasite mentioned in my last post, and which is invading various trees on our land, including the above, hacked of a few branches.     

The RESULT has been to lose almost a third of the Tree itself,  accomplished with no regard to its appearance.    Whole branches just hacked, not sawn, off with a broad bladed 'panga' or sword,   Instead of just removing an infestation of the Parasite, where it occurred on a branch, our 'tree doctor' just lopped of whole branches laden with foliage, leaving huge bare gaps, revealing the inner skeleton of the Tree, stark to the naked eye.

WELL,  the Parasite has been, for the most part, totally eradicated,  BUT everywhere we look, our trees look as if they have been struck by lightening.       They will, no doubt, recover, but it will take time....!

Looking in the opposite direction, and a little beyond Testimony House, a further Tree, of a different kind, has also been attacked.

And once again desolation seems to have come upon it.

To the left are 'Before and After photos' of this second Tree, which has a kind of fan trunk consisting of four trunks all joined in one, and fanning out.    Well over a hundred and fifty feet high and more than a hundred years old.  You can see that it spread widely - about  fifty meters West to East, with a thick foliage.   It was heavily infested, and our 'hacker' tore into it, lopping off almost the entire left half, as you look at the photo, and also taking some out of the top, AND some to the right.    We are left with about HALF a tree, with some branches and one main trunk quite denuded of any foliage. 

Not the best man for the job, you think?   Yes, but the only one we have found to attempt the dangerous business of climbing at risk, without insurance or any safety gear. We have admired this, elderly man's confidence, but he also seems to have a private determination to do as much damage as he can - just to make it all worth the effort. perhaps.

He has not finished yet!    We will do our best to remonstrate with him, and trust we may even yet open his eyes to  SEE the poetic beauty that God has creatively put into a Tree, as it grows in Praise to Him.

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THIS IS A FIG TREE - a really 'leafy' one.     I was reading today about such a tree, in Mark 11v12-14 & v20.    JESUS was hungry that morning, and noticing the tree he hurried toward it to see if it might have fruit.   But, on arrival, He found it only had leaves..... not a single fruit, for the time ( Season ) of figs was not yet ( had not come ).

And Jesus spoke said to the Fig Tree 'No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for  ever.  (Let no man one eat fruit from you, from now on, and forever.'     And his disciples heard it.  They were with him at the time.

And some little time later, passing that way again, the disciples looked out for the Fig Tree, and found it dried up from the roots.   Peter cried out to Jesus saying 'Master, behold the fig tree which you cursed is withered away.'

NO PLEASE don't run off to find a Commentary!   I didn't - I just sat and thought about it, and  I encourage you to do just the same. 

On the face of it Jesus seems to behave with annoyance.    Yet He had no obvious reason for doing so since 'it was not the time for Figs'.  There was no reason, humanly, to expect one to be found.   But Jesus WAS disappointed, and actually CURSED the tree, AND it withered up and died, within the day.

Was our Lord in a bad mood?    

He  went on his way, and finally we find him entering the Temple in Jerusalem.     Immediately, we are told He began to cast out all those who sold and bought (traded) in the Temple.   The disciple whom Jesus loved, even adds, in John 2v13-16, that Jesus first of all made a 'scourge of small cords' to assist Him in chasing these 'traders' out of the Temple area, overturning their tables and chairs, and even refusing them to carry their merchandise about.    It must have been quite a noisy, pandemonic scene, with the LORD striding angrily about with his flail, scattering and upsetting the 'market stalls,  sheep bleating, doves fluttering about, and money running everywhere upon the ground between the legs of the store holders, who ran shouting in protest.     So sudden, so clamorous, so furious a scene.

HAD JESUS, go up on the wrong side of the bed?   Was He out of salts?    Or was he truly UPSET and even justifiably ANGRY.... angry with the tree, the traders in the Temple, and perhaps with everyone?   It all seemed so out of  character. 

In John 2v17 John writes that at this time His disciples remembered that it had been written of Him that  'The zeal of thine house has eaten me up' - psalm 69v9   BUT before getting to this,  we should first return to the FIG Tree.

The fig tree was doing what came naturally - it was not in season, and was not producing fruit,

BUT JESUS was hungry.    The LORD of Heaven and Earth, the CREATOR of ALL things was hungry!

Should not His proximity and NEED, have caused the Fig Tree to have, figuratively, jumped for JOY, and immediately produced, at least one fruit ?     EVEN out of season?      Did this Fig tree show the readiness of ALL Created things to serve their Creator?      Should we not all be stood on tip-toe with the anticipation of His Coming - and to BE READY?    Consider these first and last verses of a Poem written the 15th Century by Thomas Ford.

'YET if His Majesty, our sovereign lord,

 Should of his own account, friendly himself invite, 
And say, 'I'll be your guest to-morrow night,'
How should we stir ourselves, call and command

All hands to work!  "let no man idle stand!'

Thus, if a king were coming, would we do;
And 'twere good reason too;
For 'tis a duteous thing
To show all honour to an earthly king,'
And after all or travail, and our cost,

So he be pleased, to think no labour lost.

And James 4v17 declares 'Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is SIN.'

GOD is a JEALOUS God; Jealous for His Honour and Praise.   He Will be FIRST, and no OTHER, for HE recognises NOTHING in front of Himself.    He IS LORD OF ALL,  King of Kings!   And ONLY to HIM must we bow the knee.    Great Wrath is kindled when this pride of place, and honour is in any way denied Him.   He expects it IN and OUT of Season, and without regard to our 'reasonable' human excuses.      We should take great care how we go through life.        The FRUIT should have been to hand - and we see this in JOHN 15 v.5 where we find JESUS Himself telling us that if we are In Him and He in us, then we shall bring forth much fruit.  If there is no fruit to hand in our lives, the HE is not in us and we are as good as DEAD already.      BUT many are are not taking the Warning.     Even the 'Temple' is a place not only to WORSHIP in but to TRADE in and with.      Are we blinded by 'bling'?    Look even at JEREMIAH 7v2-11++ which is in many ways the 'precursor' of Mark 11 as it relates to what happened that day in the Temple.  Especially verses 9-11 where God asks via Jeremiah ' IS THIS HOUSE, which is called by name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?   Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD'.

And let us REMEMBER that WE are God's House in a very real sense and how we use and treat it will not go unnoticed.       AND so to the Last Verse of FORD's Poem:=

BUT, at the coming of the King of Heaven

All's set at six and seven;

We wallow in our sin

Christ cannot find a chamber in the Inn.

We entertain Him always like a stranger,

And, as at first, still lodge Him in the manger.

    

The Passage of Scripture in Mark 11 is a WAKE UP CALL to us all.     Wake up. Take stock.  Let us discern our READINESS to receive our Creator..          OUR trees, here in Eldoret, are dying, but if they can have their parasites and sickness removed, then yet they will live.    NOW is the time to review our status.   Now is the time to be serious about our lives, and not to misjudge our Salvations  -  we need to have it in mind that we are encouraged to work out out Salvation - even in and with Christ - with fear and trembling.   Let us make sure HE is before us in all we attempt to do, and to become.     Let none of us be a fruitless tree, surprised at His Coming, seeking refreshment on demand,  nor His house miss- appropriated to purposes not to the Glory of the Owner.     

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WE here are all well, but continuing to grapple with lack of seasonable RAINS, at least in this area of Kenya.    We pray on.     School has just re-opened after Half-term of our 2nd Term of the Year.  All is going satisfactorily.     Everyone healthy, and no sign of Covid 19.    We praise the LORD.   WE have also sent out Updates to praying friends.

God Bless you all, and keep you safe in an unsafe world.     All the 'signs' speak of the coming of our expected KING and SAVIOUR.     We need to all join together in opening our hearts and lives to Him

who will come..     Thank you all for your prayers, and even for your help and support.

Sincerely in His Love and Mercy, always

John, Esther, and Daryl Green, and all at Testimony Faith Homes & School.