simile: n. a figure of speech in which one thing is likened to another
in one respect by the use of “like,” “as,” etc.
The Bible uses similes frequently. They paint pictures for our eyes so our minds can grasp biblical truth. They borrow our familiarity with the ordinary to help us understand the profound.
Consider the following:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3
A simple picture. A profound truth. Delighting in the Word of God causes us to meditate on it day and night. The person who delights in the Word of God, who is fed day and night, will not stay a sapling. He will be like a tree.
If his roots grow deeply into the Word of God, if he pulls nourishment up through those roots day and night, He will grow into a mighty tree. Reading God’s Word makes us strong. Just as healthy, strong trees blossom forth into fruit, those who are made strong by the steady diet of delighting in God’s Word produce fruit.
What would we give for our children to become mighty oaks of righteousness? An hour of teaching on Sunday morning? A few hours of preparation? A regular weekly prayer for the children in your small group? A passing word of spiritual encouragement to a child in your class? Each of these small investments could reap an eternal harvest.
Are you currently teaching or contemplating teaching Sunday school this year?
We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day;
night is coming, when no one can work.
John 9:4
Are you wavering in your commitment to nurture the faith of the next generation?
And let us not grow weary of doing good,
for in due season we will reap,
if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9
Are you unsure of your abilities?
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything,
but only God who gives the growth.
1 Corinthians 3:7
There may be reasons for pulling back on teaching the Bible to the next generation, but there remains one great reason for staying the course…
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
Pslam 1:3
May you be blessed as you plant the seeds of righteousness in the next generation, and may the children within your influence become mighty oaks of faith.
