SonRise

(An excerpt from ‘SonRise’ by Carmel Carberry) Some years ago, God spoke to me in a ‘picture’ within my mind of a beautiful sunset. I also saw a rolling landscape upon which the sun was setting, with the addition of a tree in the foreground, which appeared to be bare. As I admired the ‘sunset’ I felt the Lord say: “No, the sun is not setting, it is rising: stop thinking sunset, start thinking sunrise. Stop evaluating your life by past achievements and failures. This is a new day. The tree is not dead – look at the roots: they are alive and well, sinking deeper into Me. Don’t look at the surface, look underneath…don’t look at the scene, see the unseen.” Then I saw the roots of the tree and they were strong and growing. They went deep into the soil, making the tree more stable. I felt the Lord saying that some people think to themselves that they are only a ‘bare tree’ but in truth they are putting down roots deeper into Christ, and these roots are growing strong in order to support a newness of growth in Him. Colossians 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. As I looked at the tree again, the outer layer of ‘dry bark’ began to break and fall like ‘scales’ from all over the tree. As the ‘scales’ fell, the greenery of the tree began to emerge (Acts 9:18). True newness of life comes from within us, from the presence of God’s Spirit and the truth of His Word, not by outward attempts to improve ourselves. Luke 17:21 (KJV) For the Kingdom of God is within you The image of the old tree bark breaking spoke to me of: self-focused hopes, self-focused dreams and self-focused plans falling away and being replaced by God-filled hopes, God-filled dreams and God-filled plans. It also spoke to me of old habits and behavioural patterns falling away as the new life flowed from within, displaying His Glory in the ‘sunrise’ of God ~ His Life, His Light transcending all. I felt the Lord say: “Let go of the old ~ for the new has begun” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!!