PALM TREE PECULIARITIES
We are told in Titus 2:14, that pilgrims are a peculiar people. They
have characteristics exclusively their own. They belong wholly to the
Lord, and are unlike other people. To the world they appear singular,
strange.
These people are peculiar in the source of their enjoyment, in their
conversation, in their dress, and in other ways which differentiate them
from the world. One saint may have a peculiarity which is not in any
other. He may have a peculiar way in manifesting his emotions when he
gets blessed, or in some striking manner of speech, or sphere of
service, or mode of dress. So it is with different varieties of the
palm. Some have peculiar characteristics which indeed belong only to
their species, and some are strikingly curious. The Christian life is
illustrated so plainly by some of these, that we will note a few.
I. THE EXPLOSIVE FLOWER
There is a certain palm which buds out in enormous clusters. It is said
that "the flowers occur in an enormous cluster, at first ensheathed by
large and frequently wooden spathes, which often burst with an
explosion." Much fault has been found with some of God's palm tree
saints because they have a peculiarity akin to this. To hinder this
explosive emotion in them might hinder their spiritual life itself. For
them to quench the Spirit, would be to thwart the plan and purpose of
God himself. Many precious souls have been tempted and tried because
they seem to be put up different from some others. They have wished to
be more quiet, and have wondered why they have to shout so much. Some
always have a gush of tears and have gone so far as to ask the Lord to
dry their tears, and when the Lord answered their prayer, they
invariably were made lean, and prayed again for Him to open the
fountain. On whatever plan of peculiar disposition we may be built, let
us thank God for it and let the Holy Ghost have His way in all the
minutia of life. All people do not shout, and all do not laugh, but all
get blessed if the Lord has His way. We must not be tried over those
whose blessings do not fall within our desired method, nor should we be
discouraged because the manifestations of the Spirit within us are not
exactly like some others whom we admire.
"The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit
withal." The emotions which follow these operations of the Spirit vary
according to the peculiar makeup of the individual. If there were a row
of various combustibles, such as shavings, salt, powder, gasoline, etc.,
and fire were put to each one of them, there would be manifestations
according to their various characteristics. The shavings would quietly
blaze up, the salt would flicker, the powder would blow up and that
would be the end of it, while the gasoline would blaze all over and keep
on till all was burned. So, when the fire of the Holy Ghost is turned
loose on a lot of consecrated saints, the manifestations of the Spirit
will vary according to the peculiar characteristics of the spiritual
material on hand. When all do the same thing it might be an evidence of
custom or training, and not of the Spirit's manifestation, for God does
not confine Himself in ruts. What could be more stirring, and conducive
to conviction than a body of fire-baptized souls under the control of
the Holy Ghost, some shouting, some laughing, some crying, and some
leaping and dancing, while others might be praying or exhorting; all
letting the Spirit work through them severally as He will. Such scenes
never fail to produce conviction upon an audience. The altar is
frequently filled with weeping penitents after such a scene.
Yes, in nature we have the explosive element in the palm; so in grace we
have the bursting forth of holy emotions, the upgush of heavenly
raptures, and as a help and forewarning the Word tells us, "Quench not
the Spirit."
When a soul swings loose in the Spirit and becomes so free as to shout,
or laugh, or jump for joy, it is reasonable to suppose that it is the
mind of the Spirit for that soul to retain his freedom, not allowing
himself to be tied up so that such demonstrations could not be
duplicated should God so desire. Alas, how many have failed right here!
We have noted the freedom of a new, Spirit-filled soul. How the
peculiar manifestation of the Spirit blest the meeting, and the "profit
withal" was apparent. Later on we have observed how the Holy Spirit
tried to duplicate the freedom and blessing, but the dear soul felt
timid or backward and simply failed to keep abandoned to God. The
inevitable result was, that the heart closed up, the Spirit was grieved,
and dryness and leanness were the result. Let no one dare say, "I am
abandoned to the Holy Ghost" and then not let Him have His way with him
in every particular. To be consecrated means more than simply saying it.
If some one should place a thousand dollars on deposit in my name in
some bank and hand me over the bank book, telling me it all belonged to
me, and for me to draw upon it for any purpose up to the amount of the
deposit, I would certainly feel free to do with it as I pleased without
any fear of his interference. If I wanted five dollars for groceries, I
could draw on the deposit. If I wanted fifty dollars for missionary
work, it is on deposit. It is all mine; I can handle it as I please.
Consecration is putting our all--body, soul, and spirit, time, talent,
earthly store, family, future, service, all we have and know, and all we
do not know into heaven's bank on deposit and then handing the bank book
over to the Holy Ghost, saying, "Draw on the deposit for anything which
Thou in Thy infinite wisdom desirest." Be sure, then, that the Holy
Ghost will take us at our word. When He makes a draw for some particular
demonstration such as shouting, or taking a trip down the aisle, or
laughing, or crying, remember He controls the deposit and has a right to
do as He pleases with what has been turned over to Him. If our time is
placed in His hands He has a right to direct it. If our money is placed
at His disposal, we must let Him say in what channels it shall be used.
It means much to say, "I am all the Lord's."
II. THE LIVING SACRIFICE
The Coquito palm of Chile is a tree about fifty feet in height, with a
spreading crown of leaves. From its trunk a syrup is obtained called
_miel de palma_, which is much esteemed by the Chileans and foreigners
in cookery. This syrup is obtained by cutting down the tree, and lopping
off its crown of leaves, when the sap flows from the wound, and is
carefully collected. By cutting off a fresh slice from the wound daily,
or when the flow of sap becomes weak, it may be kept flowing for several
months. A good tree is said to yield as much as ninety gallons of sap,
which on being boiled down assumes the consistency of treacle or
molasses.
Here we have a beautiful and fitting illustration of the daily and
living sacrifice of a palm tree saint. If the righteous flourish like
the palm tree, might it not be well to emulate this peculiar
characteristic? When Paul admonished the Roman Christians to present
their "bodies a living sacrifice," he did not mean for them simply to
obtain the blessing of holiness and then stop and thereafter settle down
and enjoy themselves. He meant not only a sacrifice to be offered up at
the given time, but to remain offered up. Our sacrifice is to remain a
living sacrifice. The Christian life is one sacrificed to God's cause
for the sake of glorifying God and being used in His service. The very
word sacrifice means something offered up in devotion. Then if it is
offered up to another, can we claim it as our own? If we are to be like
this peculiar palm, then we are ready to be "poured forth" as Paul said
he was to the Philippians. Here is this sacrificed palm, with its very
life poured out from day to day for the benefit of humanity. And this is
kept up till there remains nothing but the trunk. Oh, what a symbol of
the constant, daily outpouring of one's life and strength for the
benefit of a lost world! Look at David Brainerd, David Livingstone,
Henry Martyn, yea, thousands of faithful men and women missionaries who
have literally poured out their lives, and died for their fellow-men.
The sacrifice element in the Christian life is further illustrated in
another kind of palm known as the Cabbage palm. The terminal bud, or
"cabbage," is enclosed among many thin, snow-white, brittle flakes. It
has the flavor of the almond, but of greater sweetness, and is boiled
and eaten with meat. As its removal causes the death of the tree, it is
regarded as an extravagant delicacy only rarely to be enjoyed.
Here we find the illustration of the martyr element of the palm tree
saint. Paul said, "I am now ready to be offered." Stephen gave himself a
living sacrifice to God, and right away lost his life. The martyrs are
numbered by thousands. Is not this an extravagant method of spreading
the gospel? It may be from a human standpoint, but God in His infinite
wisdom can see beyond our shortsightedness, and permits such to be. "The
blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." If there were more
persecution today there would doubtless be a better type of Christians.
We should possess the martyr spirit. The word "witness" in the original
is martyr. And surely many of those early Christians proved it. Every
consecrated soul should involve in his consecration the possibility of
losing his life for Jesus; then, if he ever faces the issue, he is
prepared for it, and if he never has to face such an issue, he might
consider it so much clear gain.
III. THE FOREIGN MISSIONARY
The peculiarity of a certain kind of palm, known as the Great Rattan is
its wandering or traveling characteristic. The stems of this very
peculiar variety are of prodigious length extending for hundreds of
feet; it is stated from twelve hundred to eighteen hundred feet,
clinging by hooks attached to their leaves to the trunks and boughs of
neighboring trees, or trailing on the ground. They are extremely hard
externally and usually smooth.
Here we have a beautiful illustration of the missionary spirit. We are
living in a day when many of God's dear palm tree saints are flourishing
like this Great Rattan. They have the missionary spirit. They have those
spiritual hooks attached to their experience which enable them to cling
to others with a tenacity which is not human. They are endowed with a
spiritual sturdiness which in truth enables them to "endure hardness as
good soldiers." They cross mountains, deserts and oceans, and live among
the heathen to win them to Christ. What we need in these days of
self-ease and luxury is more of this Great Rattan movement. We need more
pilgrims to foreign lands. If we are not called ourselves with this
peculiar characteristic, then let us help those who are thus called. We
can help them with our money and with our prayers.
We all have a call to the foreign field in one sense: "Go ye into all
the world." If God has let you off in person, then see to it that you
have a part anyway in evangelizing the world. If I can not go, I can
send. If I can not reach them by word of mouth, I can by way of the
throne. If I can not preach and teach in the foreign land, I can pray
and pay in the homeland. Amen!
With the thought of the missionary and also of the living sacrifice
before us, we have the perfect combination of the two in the
self-sacrificing experience of some of the early pioneers in the foreign
lands. We, in the home lands, can scarcely realize the toils and
hardships and dangers that some of these heroes of the cross waded
through. We think of the dauntless Livingstone, who penetrated Africa's
jungles in order to plant the gospel in that benighted region. Lost to
home and the world for years, no wonder people considered him worth
looking up, and sending a Stanley in search for him. But he was doing a
work which would open up nations to hear the Word of life. Though he
had to bury his loved one on the bank of the Zambesi, yet "with
undaunted courage, he set his face toward new paths." How the natives
loved this man--this living sacrifice. He was the means in God's hands
of bringing them light for darkness, comfort for sorrow, life for death.
He was the foe of the slave stealers, and delivered the poor helpless
mortals from their grasp. He toiled on in solitude, and gave his very
life to make a way to this dark and heathen world. Finally, far from the
shore, and thousands of miles from home, he took sick. He was a man of
prayer, and one morning when the native men looked into his abode, they
found only the body of this devoted follower of the Lamb; he was dead on
his knees. Those dusky, devoted souls determined to do the best they
could in memory of their apostle, and knowing that his great, loving
heart was centered in Africa, they took out his heart and buried it
beneath a tree. They then let the hot sun dry the body and those loyal
hands carried the remains many, many miles to the seashore, where, what
was left of the faithful missionary was shipped to England. And now,
with the heart of David Livingstone in the middle of Africa, his body in
Westminster Abbey, his soul in heaven, we have an example of the grace
of God in helping a man to give up his life for a lost world.
Let us take a glance at Henry Martyn. Leaving England as a young man in
feeble health, for six years he worked against fearful odds in India.
There in that disease-ladened land and in Persia he pursued his arduous
task of learning three languages utterly adverse, such as Hindustani,
Arabic, and Persian. In these three languages he translated the entire
New Testament in six years. This is one of the most astonishing of
intellectual feats on record. Besides these translations he made others
and when we remember that he was burning up with consumptive's fever,
and yet kept right on till, in order to perfect his translation in
Persian, he made a trip to that country, and crossing burning, sand
deserts with his own body literally burning up with fever, he was surely
a living sacrifice. His passionate love for the Savior and the souls of
lost men, made him suffer on in weakness and sickness, until the short
candle of his life consuming at both ends finally flickered out in that
faraway foreign land between Persia and the western shore, and where a
lone headstone marked the spot where one of God's sainted heroes lay
down and died. How small it makes me feel as I write these lines!
Another example is that of David Brainerd, the apostle to the Indians
before the colonies became independent. This young man, who died in his
thirtieth year in the home of Jonathan Edwards, was one of those early
pioneers of gospel work among the wild and pagan Indians. He was another
living sacrifice, very feeble in body, dying by inches with consumption,
yet toiled on without murmuring, and praying till his body would be
bathed in perspiration, he battled almost against hope till finally God
gave him marvelous success among those benighted savages. A few lines
from the journal of this marvelous man of prayer may stir up more of a
spirit of prayer and self-sacrifice in the reader:
"June 14, 1742.
"I set apart this day for secret fasting and prayer, to entreat God to
direct and bless me with regard to the great work which I have in view,
of preaching the gospel--and that the Lord would return to me and show
me the light of His countenance. Had little life and power in the
forenoon. Near the middle of the afternoon, God enabled me to wrestle
ardently in intercession for my friends. But just at night the Lord
visited me marvelously in prayer. I think my soul never was in such an
agony before. I felt no restraint; for the treasures of divine grace
were opened to me. I wrestled for absent friends, for the ingathering of
souls, for multitudes of poor souls, and for many that I thought were
the children of God, personally, in many distant places. I was in such
an agony from sun half an hour high, till near dark, that I was all over
wet with sweat; but yet it seemed to me that I had wasted the day and
done nothing. Oh, my dear Savior did sweat blood for poor souls! I
longed for more compassion towards them. Felt still in a sweet frame,
under a sense of divine love and grace, and went to bed in such a frame,
with my heart set on God.
"April 30, 1743.
"The presence of God is what I want. I live in the most lonely,
melancholy desert, about eighteen miles from Albany; for it was not
thought best that I should go to Delaware river. I board with a poor
Scotchman. His wife can talk scarce any English. My diet consists mostly
of hasty pudding, boiled corn, and bread baked in the ashes, and
sometimes a little meat and butter. My lodging is a little heap of
straw, laid upon some boards a little way from the ground; for it is a
log room, without any floor, that I lodge in. My work is exceedingly
hard and difficult. I travel on foot a mile and a half, the worst of
ways, almost daily, and back again; for I live so far from my Indians. I
have not seen an English person in this month. These, and many other
circumstances, equally uncomfortable, attend me. The Lord grant that I
may learn to 'endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.'
"August 15, 1743.
"Spent most of the day in labor to procure something to keep my horse on
in the winter. Enjoyed not much sweetness in the morning; was very weak
in body through the day, and thought that this frail body would soon
drop into the dust, and had some very realizing apprehensions of a
speedy entrance into another world. In this weak state of body, I was
not a little distressed for want of suitable food. I had no bread, nor
could I get any. I am forced to go or send ten or fifteen miles for all
the bread I eat; and sometimes it is moldy and sour before I eat it, if
I get any considerable quantity. And then again I have none for some
days together, for want of an opportunity to send for it, and can not
find my horse in the woods to go myself; and this was my case today.
But through divine goodness I had some Indian meal, of which I made
little cakes, and fried them. Yet I felt contented with my
circumstances, and sweetly resigned to God. In prayer I enjoyed great
freedom, and blessed God as much for my present circumstances, as if I
had been a king; and thought that I found a disposition to be contented
in any circumstances. Blessed be God!
"January 23, 1744.
"I think I never felt more resigned to God, nor so dead to the world, in
every respect, as now. Am dead to all desire of reputation and
greatness, either in life or after death. All I long for is to be holy,
humble, and crucified to the world.
"March 2, 1744.
"Was most of the day employed in writing on a divine subject. Was
frequent in prayer and enjoyed some small degree of assistance. But in
the evening God was pleased to grant me divine sweetness in prayer
especially in the duty of intercession. I think I never felt so much
kindness and love to those who, I have reason to think, are my
enemies--though at that time I found such a disposition to think the
best of all, that I scarce knew how to think that any such thing as
enmity and hatred lodged in any soul. It seemed that all the world must
needs be friends. I never prayed with more freedom and delight for
myself, or dearest friend, than I did now for my enemies.
"March 3, 1744.
"In the morning, spent (I believe) an hour in prayer, with great
intenseness and freedom, and with the most soft and tender affection
toward mankind. I longed that those who, I have reason to think, bear me
ill will, might be eternally happy. It seemed refreshing to think of
meeting them in heaven, how much soever they had injured me on earth. I
had no disposition to insist upon any confession from them, in order to
reconciliation and the exercise of love and kindness to them. Oh, it is
an emblem of heaven itself, to love all the world with a love of
kindness, forgiveness, and benevolence; to feel our souls sedate, mild
and meek, to be void of all evil surmisings and suspicions, and scarce
able to think evil of any man upon any occasion; to find our hearts
simple, open, and free, to those that look upon me with a different eye!
Prayer was so sweet an exercise to me, that I knew not how to cease,
lest I should lose the spirit of prayer. Felt no disposition to eat or
drink, for the sake of the pleasure of it, but only to support my body,
and fit me for divine service. Could not be content without a very
particular mention of a great number of dear friends at the throne of
grace; as also the particular circumstances of many, so far as they were
known.
"July 24, 1744.
"Rode about seventeen miles westward, over a hideous mountain, to a
number of Indians. Got together near thirty of them; preached to them in
the evening and lodged among them. Was weak, and felt in some degree
disconsolate; yet could have no freedom in the thought of any other
circumstances or other business in life. All my desire was the
conversion of the heathen; and all hope was in God. God does not suffer
me to please or comfort myself with hopes of seeing friends, returning
to dear acquaintances, and enjoying worldly comforts.
"November 22, 1744.
"Came on my way from Rockciticus to the Delaware. Was very much
disordered with a cold and pain in my head. About six at night, I lost
my way in the wilderness, and wandered over rocks and mountains, down
hideous steeps, through swamps, and most dreadful and dangerous places,
and, the night being dark, so that few stars could be seen, I was
greatly exposed. I was much pinched with cold, and distressed with an
extreme pain in my head, attended with sickness at my stomach; so that
every step I took was distressing to me. I had little hope for several
hours together, but that I must lie out in the woods all night, in this
distressed case. But about nine o'clock, I found a house, through the
abundant goodness of God, and was kindly entertained. Thus I have
frequently been exposed, and sometimes lain out the whole night; but God
has hitherto preserved me, and blessed be His name. Such fatigues and
hardships as these serve to wean me from the earth; and, I trust, will
make heaven the sweeter. Formerly, when I was thus exposed to cold and
rain, I was ready to please myself with the thoughts of enjoying a
comfortable house, a warm fire, and other outward comforts; but now
these have less place in my heart, (through the grace of God), and my
eye is more to God for comfort. In this world I expect tribulation; and
it does not now, as formerly, appear strange to me. I do not in such
seasons of difficulty flatter myself that it will be better hereafter;
but rather think how much worse it might be; how much greater trials
others of God's children have endured, and how much greater are yet,
perhaps, reserved for me.
"October 5, 1746.
"After sermon, baptized two persons. Administered the Lord's Supper to
the Indians, besides divers dear Christians of the white people. It
seemed to be a season of divine power and grace; and numbers seemed to
rejoice in God. Oh, the sweet union and harmony then appearing among the
religious people! My soul was refreshed, and my religious friends of the
white people, with me. After the sacrament, could scarcely get home,
though it was not more than twenty rods; but was supported and led by my
friends, and laid on my bed; where I lay in pain till some time in the
evening; and then was able to sit up and discourse with friends. Oh, how
was this day spent in prayers and praises among my dear people! One
might hear them, all the morning before public worship, and in the
evening, till near midnight, praying and singing praises to God, in one
or other of their houses. My soul was refreshed, though my body was
weak."
Just before his death he wrote a letter to his brother Israel, who was
then in college. A part of this letter we give as follows:
"It is on the verge of eternity I now address you. I am heartily sorry
that I have so little strength to write what I long so much to
communicate to you. But, let me tell you, my brother, eternity is
another thing than we ordinarily take it to be when in a healthful
state. Oh, how fixed and unalterable! Oh, of what infinite importance it
is, that we be prepared for eternity! I have been just a dying, now for
more than a week; and all around me have thought me so. I have had clear
views of eternity, have seen the blessedness of the godly, in some
measure, and have longed to share their happy state, as well as been
comfortably satisfied, that through grace I shall do so; but oh, what
anguish is raised in my mind, to think of eternity for those who are
Christless, for those who are mistaken, and who bring their false hopes
to the grave with them! The sight was so dreadful, I could by no means
bear it. My thoughts recoiled, and I said, under a more affecting sense
than ever before, 'Who can dwell with everlasting burnings!' Oh,
methought, could I now see my friends, that I may warn them to see it,
that they lay their foundation for eternity sure. * * * If you have
reason to think you are graceless, O give yourself and the throne of
grace no rest, till God arise and save! But if the case should be
otherwise, bless God for His grace, and press after holiness.
"My soul longs, that you should be fitted for, and in due time go into
the work of the ministry. I can not bear to think of your going into any
other business in life. Do not be discouraged, because you see your
elder brothers in the ministry die early, one after another. I declare,
now I am dying, I would not have spent my life otherwise for the whole
world.
"Oh, my dear brother, flee fleshly lusts, and the enchanting amusements
as well as the corrupt doctrines of the present day, and strive to live
to God. Take this as the last line from your affectionate and dying
brother."
About a year and six months before this faithful, self-sacrificing
servant of God passed to his reward, he wrote in his diary something
which most beautifully sets forth the thought we are trying to bring out
in the illustration of the living sacrifice life of the missionary.
Under date of May 22, 1746, he wrote:
"If ever my soul presented itself to God for His service, without any
reserve of any kind, it did so now. The language of my thoughts and
disposition now was, 'Here I am, Lord, send me. Send me to the ends of
the earth. Send me to the rough, savage pagans of the wilderness. Send
me from all that is called comfort in earth, or earthly comfort. Send me
even to death itself, if it be but in Thy service, and to promote Thy
kingdom.' At the same time I had as quick and lively a sense of the
value of worldly comforts as I ever had; but only saw them infinitely
overmatched by the worth of Christ's kingdom, and the propagation of His
blessed gospel. A quiet settlement, a certain place of abode, the tender
friendships of life, appeared as valuable to me, considered absolutely
and in themselves, as ever before; but considered comparatively, they
appeared nothing. Compared with the value and preciousness of an
enlargement of Christ's kingdom, they vanished as stars before a rising
sun. Sure I am that though the comfortable accommodations of life
appeared valuable and clear to me, yet I did surrender and resign
myself, soul and body, to the service of God, and to the promotion of
Christ's kingdom, though it should be in the loss of them all. I could
not do any other, because I could not will or choose any other. I was
constrained, and yet chose, to say, 'Farewell, friends and earthly
comforts, the dearest of them all, the very dearest, if the Lord calls
for it. Adieu, adieu; I will spend my life to my latest moments, in the
caves and dens of the earth, if the kingdom of Christ may thereby be
advanced.'
"I felt extraordinary freedom at this time in pouring out my soul to God
for His cause, especially that His kingdom might be extended among the
Indians, far remote; and I had a great and strong hope that God would do
it. I continued wrestling with God in prayer for my dear little flock
here, and more especially for the Indians elsewhere, as well as for dear
friends in one place and another until it was bedtime, and I feared I
should hinder the family. But oh, with what reluctancy did I feel myself
obliged to consume time in sleep! I longed to be a flame of fire,
continually glowing in the divine service, and building up Christ's
kingdom, to my latest, my dying moment."
And God granted him his desire to his dying moment. David Brainerd was
truly a living sacrifice as a missionary to the pagan Indians, and won
many of them to Christ, where he is rejoicing with them in glory today.
IV. DIFFERENCE IN SIZE AND FORM
Here we find some very noted peculiarities. There are so many shapes and
sizes in the various departments of the palm tree world that one is lost
in wonder. Here is one gigantic tree two hundred feet high, while
another is only a few feet in height and both real palms. Some leaves
attain the enormous proportions of thirty-five feet in length by five or
six feet in breadth, while on other varieties the leaves are only a few
inches in length. Some palms have no flowers at all, while another known
as the Talipot palm throws up a branching inflorescence to a height of
thirty feet above the foliage, and it has been estimated that such an
inflorescence has included as many as sixty millions of flowers.
When we see such differences in size and propensities, we are reminded
of the vast differences in the Christian world. Some saints loom up
indeed like the giants of the forest, while others are more like house
plants. Some are so full of stupendous works for God's kingdom, and are
accomplishing such herculean tasks, while others seem to be more adapted
for the mantelpiece, or things to look at. We find the same differences
obtaining on other lines. In the physical world is a Samson who can
carry off the gates of Gaza, while here is another who can scarcely
carry himself. In the intellectual world there are men who can walk
through the heavens as we would stroll through a town; they weigh the
planets in their scales, and tell the composition of stars and their
distances; while others are still wondering if this world is not flat.
In the financial realm we find a man who can lug whole railroad systems,
or trans-Atlantic steamers on his shoulders, or thousands of tanks of
Standard oil. On the other hand we see some who would starve to death if
they were left to themselves. We know of one man who had been trying for
years to save up enough money on which to get divorced. We would not be
too hard on those, who, in the spiritual realm, are not able to walk off
with mountains on their shoulders; they may not be endowed with any
special gifts, and yet they may be the Lord's weak children.
We would not sit in judgment on any of God's children. Christ came to
save all who will put their trust in Him, and if one is naturally
endowed with great and peculiar talents, so much the more responsibility
rests upon him; but if one does not possess the extraordinary, he may be
a trustful follower of the Lamb after all. And yet we have known of some
who certainly did not seem possessed with anything above the ordinary,
yet because of their fidelity to Christ and their abandonment to the
Holy Ghost, were really blessed in usefulness beyond the ordinary. There
is no telling what the Lord will do with the weak ones if they will only
let Him put over against them His strength. So, as in the palm tree
realm, there is such a variety in size and form, so in the Christian
world we have the babe and the man, the weak and the strong, the tiny,
trusting heart who is scarcely known around the corner, and the giant of
God who wields his influence throughout the nation. So, whether we are
little or big, weak or strong, if we have the assurance that we belong
to God's kingdom, let us look up and rejoice evermore. We may be tempted
to discouragement when we see the stupendous accomplishments of some of
the palm tree saints, but we must remember that God requires from us
only that which we are able to perform. So while we may not do what some
others do, yet we can all, without an exception, measure up in our
individual sphere and prove that the Word of God is true, that "The
righteous shall flourish like the palm tree."
Reader, in closing this little message to you, let me entreat you, by
the aid of the Holy Spirit, to introspect your heart and life and see if
you possess a spiritual life which would warrant you in believing that
you are flourishing like the palm tree. Amen!