Under the Tree

By Carla J. Wells

This book encourages us to spend daily quiet time with God as a man named Timon did. Under the tree Timon gained strength and peace and life in the midst of a disease that would take his life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carla Wells
• Release date: Dec 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386632696

Book preview

Under the Tree

by Carla Wells

The Man Under the Tree Purpose (original title) by Carla Wells copyright © 2013; 2nd Edition title update Under the Tree copyright © 2018

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version™  NIV ™  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc.™

Used by permission.  All rights reserved worldwide.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,

For in you I take refuge.

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings

Until the disaster has passed.

I cry out to God most high,

To God, who vindicates me.

He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me;

God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.  Psalm 57:1-3

Introduction

When we read materials other than the bible let it be so that we gain knowledge to forward positively our own situation with God and advance His kingdom.  That’s right, even if the book is about chemistry, biology or calculus read it with an understanding God is with you.  Academic subjects interests God, they are gifts from him to enable improved quality of life, greater understanding about him, the creator of life.  In so doing, of course, it is meant our lives and souls are improved and our relationship with the Lord develops further into his original purpose.  No book, including the one you now hold in your hand, is going to define God and human purpose better than the bible.

Nonetheless, there’s a surprising mix of what one can gather about purpose in this text.  What I want is for the reader to desire a close intimate relationship with God.  So much so you move in the direction that desire becomes reality – channel more energy otherwise lost in television, newspapers, magazines, gossip, shopping and extreme sports – whatever your thing maybe - into worshipping and knowing the Lord Jesus.  

You who read this book are apt to become sharers of some of the information herein – that is one of my hopes.  That you will talk about an understanding that may or may not be new, but is invigorated by words that moved you to deeds right permanently into the arms of the Lord.  Write and talk about what you read here freely, always remember you close with him is the goal.  In this book I state this purpose maybe a hundred different ways to really help the goal to be achieved.  The plan is to place you and me in a greater position of certainty in purpose filled union with the Lord.  This purpose is fundamental to our existence.  The purpose is not dependent on weather conditions, personal finances, global status on any topic, nor how we look or don’t look to other humans or to self.  Each person has this same fundamental purpose if they live out in the desert, caves, forest, on the waters, near the water, city, country, plains, mountains, it does not matter about habitat.

There’s such a cry for knowledge to the question, ‘What is my purpose’?  Why am I here on the earth?  The answer hides.  Requires long and short journeys to discover ‘who I am’, which is a question tied up with purpose.  The answer is hidden away in a good safe place in the being of Jesus Christ. 

The question about purpose, screams a frustrated, desperate underlying need to know ‘what was I created to do’, as in occupation.   Occupation and callings I rather think of as things we do versus the drive here toward identity in Christ that when unfolded has intricate levels and patterns.  Peacock feathers come to mind.  The long elegant peacock feathers on a male bird are beautiful when sort of folded downward cascading along the ground.  But when the bird is stirred for whatever reason he raises the feathers like a stunning unexpected dramatic fan.   

The answer to what is my purpose for being, why was I created needs to be told to people so we can get away from the notion that it’s about economic achievement.  You have to wonder about people suffering in starvation, born into starvation and die due to starvation – was that their only purpose to starve to death?  We empathize and cry out for the end of starvation.  I read the story of a Rwandan woman who as a child in 1994 survived genocide, only to have her husband die of starvation years later.  That should not be, the story took my breath for a moment. 

I’ve wondered about the purpose for the starving.  In this country our existence seems to be tied to occupation.  In the church world  clearly pronounced purpose usually relates to gifts and talents – vocations or callings.  Gifts and talents speak to abilities, not personhood, gifts and talents don’t equate to human being.  Occupation, gifts and talents are given by God to enjoy and when used as he intended to advance the kingdom of the Lord.

When I think about outcasts, homeless and all the forgotten and neglected children of this earth I wonder about purpose.  I wonder about purpose for the severely handicapped and mentally disabled.  A Haitian documentary showed earthquake dead shrewd about in mass graves right along with trash and other waste.  It was a completely heartbreaking scene.  Nobody but the dump truck driver knew their whereabouts.  It seemed purpose hit a wall with no hope of penetration.  God’s word reassured me he thinks of them and though thrown away by humans ...God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.  Psalm 9:18.  I wonder about the highly able athlete and super bright in whatever occupation public or obscure, what is their purpose on this earth?  Will they, do they experience a close intimate relationship with the Lord as they fulfill gifts?

I come to the same conclusion for all categories of vocationally occupied and unoccupied people.  It’s a single purpose for our existence – to worship, praise, and love and know God.  Equally, important to know he loves each one of us.  By know I mean like a friend comes to know a friend or another human being of genuine interest.

We find comfort in odd things I think, like a cup of coffee.  I enjoyed a rich cup of Jurupa coffee with cream, fantastic.  We hold that cup of coffee or whatever comfort might be in a cup or glass or bottle, can, on a dinner plate whatever, with care, desperation, and identity.  Comfort and identity come in macaroni shells and hot tea, whatever we assign the awesome task of making us feel safe, important, providing enjoyment, which is good, and helping us stay alive for some purpose. 

We have to be told we have a fundamental purpose.  I like to think of it as ultimate purpose – communion with our maker.  In that communion he’ll help us know our lives are not a waste, our lives are not for abusing by self or others.  The person who staggers down the street due to whatever intoxicate, whether it’s liquor, drugs or pure  sadness needs to know God created him, her for purpose, communion with him.   Interesting, when we believe our only purpose is ‘to be a...’ and somehow we haven’t achieved ‘it’ we feel like a waste of space, unfulfilled, suffer the harsh talk of others and self.

Watched a young, hooded man stagger along a median of a busy street near the 210 Freeway.  He’d been spotted by a police officer who tried to remove him from harm and causing himself harm.  If the young man knew God intends for him to live and really had an open space in his heart to receive that information as meaningful and critical to his existence, I wondered to myself, could that make a difference such that he would not put himself in danger and endanger others including that officer who wanted to help him.  Would that young man have gone to the median that day if he knew God loved him for real?  If there was no human around who he felt could offer him purpose, but at last he knew God was there and cared, deep down it would make a difference in the outcome of his daily life.  Would it make him feel okay, even if all around him messages were fast and furiously saying you are not okay?  Information and thoughts come into our minds every moment some positive and some destructive blaring you’re not okay.  Another young man had a t-shirt on.  On the back of the shirt are the words don’t be an idiot.  Communion with the Lord builds our perspective, our identity in Christ.  Eventually, he’ll convince us that we are chosen by him and we are created by him and we are okay.  If things need to be changed about us so that we increasingly resemble his makeup he can take care of that too.

Fundamental purpose is not to achieve the national dream of any sovereign state or country.  Any failure to do so has deemed so many people to believe they are failures and life is not for them. Whisper in the ear of the unsure, downtrodden, broken down business person, scandalized spouse, and child your purpose is being with God.  Shout it out loud to the preacher who has forgotten his first love.  Give this knowledge: Jesus Christ is alive and waiting for you to turn to him so your purpose is fulfilled, and at last you are fully alive even in your circumstances whatever they may be; knowing you are purposed by God for his glory.  You are made to worship and enjoy God.  You and I are somebody because we exist by the hands of the potter.

We are made for God’s glory.  In a fundamental way it glorifies God we exist, whether are not we came out born with off the chart intelligence quotient or somewhere along the continuum, fundamentally he is glad we exist. It’s not for us to determine if the mentally ill can experience this circle called life, that’s between them and the Lord.

It’s great to possess loads of common sense and incomparable wisdom.  But wisdom and common sense don’t melt God’s heart.  You can.  I can.  By our desire to be a friend with God and what a true, good, healthy friendship entails that will move God greatly.

Remember Solomon of the bible?  He asked for wisdom and God granted him tons of wisdom.  Other kings and queens spoke of his wisdom, it was renowned.  Queen of Sheba was so impressed by what she heard about solomon’s wisdom she traveled a great distance by caravan to hear Solomon’s wisdom for herself.  She paid the man homage for his wisdom with a caravan containing precious stones, gold and spices.  We honor those with great talents whatever form they may take. Where did Solomon’s wisdom come from?  It came from God.  Solomon asked for wisdom when asked what he wanted God to do for him.  God shared some of his wisdom with Solomon.  One night the oscar show was on honoring talented people for on and off screen work.  Yet during the many speeches with rarity was homage paid to God for that talent. Honoring the talents of people is fine; honor needs to go to the originator of those talents.

Solomon appreciated God for giving him the talent of great wisdom, yet he didn’t stay true to his original calling and agreement with God – praise only him as God.  He eventually cheated on God by worshipping other gods.  The gods he worshipped weren’t nebulous and open to debate about whether they are gods like money, religion, material things – these were known entities created by people especially for worship.  The bible says ...each national group made its own gods...the people from Babylon made Sukkoth benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal...They worshiped the lord, but they also served their own gods.., 2 Kings 17:29-33 (NIV). 

Solomon knew better, he was wise in the ways of God.  God spoke to him direct and through dreams about what was expected of him.  One could surmise he became wise in his own eyes as he increasingly fell away from his true God in submission to false gods.  Even though other gods are false, their existence and our homage to them is no less troublesome for God and us.  Do you see that?  I remind myself at times, there’s no better substitute than Jesus and the Father.  Just because they are false, fake, not real – doesn’t lessen the true God’s anger and disappointment when we turn to the false.  What’s troublesome is we’re not turned to him.  False gods ‘exist’, that’s not so much the issue – the issue is where we turn, what, who we worship.  David, Solomon’s dad, did not get that same exact gift of wisdom that Solomon had.  David had something that moved God’s heart, David had a heart for God.

God loves us. It doesn’t mean he is always pleased with our behavior or what we become or make of ourselves.  His love for us is unchanging and his desire for us to love him is ongoing.  As one popular preacher pointed out God doesn’t ‘love’, he is love.  That’s also what the apostle John said: God is love.  The only possibility is he loves us.  Our love for him and receipt of his love for us gives