What kind of tree do you want to be? Mahogany, cedar, sycamore, willow, maple, oak, or pine?  Strange question, right? Well, it is not so strange if you consider that trees are present throughout the scriptures. Two well-known trees in the Garden of Eden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9). Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus because he was short (Luke 19:24). The ark of the covenant was made of Shittim or Acacia wood from the Acacia tree (Exodus 25:10), and Solomon and David both spoke about the cedar trees of Lebanon (1 Kings 4:33; Psalms 29:5).

So back to the question. What kind of tree do you want to be? For me, the answer is this. I want to be the tree in Psalm 1 to which the writer compares a blessed person. “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” (NKJV). This tree is not identified by name; therefore, it could be any tree—a cedar, sycamore, maple, you name it. The fact that this tree is not identified by name is because any tree planted by the rivers of water—regardless of its identity—would flourish.

I want to be this tree because its location is ideal. It is planted by the rivers of water; therefore, it has a constant supply of water that sustains it. Because of this constant supply, this tree is consistently fruitful. Whenever it is supposed to bear fruit, it does. It is unaffected by the changing seasons, for its leaves never wither. It is adept at being what was it created to be. In other words, it fulfills its purpose as a tree.

Such an amazing tree, and guess what! Everything that this tree is we can become in Christ, for its characteristics mirror the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life. Let’s do a comparison. This tree has access to rivers of water. Christians also have access to rivers of water. Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38, NKJV). This river(s) of living water is the Holy Spirit (John 7:39), and if you have the Holy Spirit, it can sustain you. If you have the Holy Spirit, you can be fruitful. If you have Holy Spirit, you can handle life’s changing seasons. If you have the Holy Spirit, you can become the person you were created to be. If you have the Holy Spirit, you can fulfill God’s purpose for your life, and even greater. If you have the Holy Spirit, you can have eternal life. In essence, anyone who has the Holy Spirit will likely flourish. Sounds familiar. It sure does! If you have the Holy Spirit, you can become like the flourishing tree in Psalm 1.