Our lives are made up of specific domains. These domains dictate to us how we operate, succeed and flourish. Each of these specific areas of our lives are expected to grow and prosper. No matter what season you are in, you are already rooted in these places and are bearing fruit whether you believe it or not.
We are expected to produce fruit in life because God has given us capacity to grow. This growth of our spiritual lives is dependent on soil, roots and branches. Each of our lives are being planted, rooted and should be growing and bearing fruit. God is an “aggregate God” who uses the metaphor of agriculture as a means of seeing our spiritual lives be significant and have meaning by remain growing. The Bible speaks of soil, roots this way :
Roots.
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.“ Colossians 2: 6-7
Soil.
”I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. Ephesians 3:16-17
Branches.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5
The soil, roots and branches of your life are connected to specific areas of growth in your life. We will use the metaphor of a tree to represent these specific growth areas of our lives. These “trees of our lives” are producing fruit that are connected to branches that are growing because of roots that are continuing to deepen themselves in soil. These domains we signified as trees and these trees collectively represent your life or in other words, your “Life Grove.” Each person has an “orchard of fruitfulness” or a Life Grove they are in charge of and are to be bearing from.
Each “Life Grove” consists of these 7 life domains or what we are calling trees. Each tree is specific and has a purpose that makes up your collective life in Christ. The more we are aware of our Life Grove then the more we can set goals for growth and see our lives impact others in a greater way.
The Seven Trees of our Life Grove:
Tree 1: The Spiritual Tree
This tree represents our spiritual life and it’s connection to God. From our devotional disciplines, our Bible reading plans, our prayer lives...this tree is critical for all spiritual disciplines.
Tree 2: The Emotional Tree
This tree is significant for your soul’s health and prosperity. Our emotianal health is how we think and feel so we can process our own feelings and emotions with clarity and steward them well.
Tree 3: The Intellectual Tree
Our intellectual tree is being rooted and grounded in significant ideas, processes and order. It’s your capacity for understanding, thinking and acquiring wisdom and knowledge and how you process and order your wisdom. What we are reading, the topics of conversations we are having and the images we are interested in all contribute to our healthy and growing intellect.
Tree 4: The Physical Tree
Plain and simple, your physical health. How you take care of your body’s health and well-being is important for every human being.
Tree 5: The Relational Tree
This tree reflects the fruit of your relational health. The way you are connecting to your friends, your spouse, your children, your social life and all aspects of relationships are the fruit of this tree.
Tree 6: The Vocational Tree
This is the growth of your professional life. This tree reflects the fruit of your job, how you are influencing, the significance of your calling in your season of life, etc.
Tree 7: The Financial Tree.
This tree signifies the financial successes, generosity and security in relation to your money.
Each of these areas of our lives are “producing.” Just as we see the fruit or the “produce” of a an apple tree for example, we see the fruit of what we are “producing” in our lives as well. Jesus says it best,
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” Matthew 12:33
Jesus knew that our Life Grove needed to be attended to and each of these specific areas of our lives cared for so we can see growth in our lives. We are expected to be checking our fruit and seeing what is being produced from each of our trees in our lives. For some of us, we have noticed the relational fruit of our marriage slipping into a place of boredom. For others, we are enjoying the intellectual fruit of our lives as we have engaged in life-giving conversations obtaining wisdom and instruction on a difficult life topic. Some of us see the emotional fruit of our lives as we let our insecurities come to the surface causing us to believe the worst about that person and the situation. Others of us see the spiritual fruit of our devotional lives flourishing as we are devoting more of our time and efforts into reading the Bible and praying more.
Here’s an action step: Get out a sheet of paper and draw 7 simple trees.
See the illustration below:
Now write the name of each tree under each one.
Then write a fruit (good or bad) that you are seeing be produced from each of the 7 Trees in your “Life Grove” inside the leaves.
Finally pray about that fruit ceasing or increasing in your life.
CHECK OUT PART 2: Flourishing In Your "Life Grove" next...