Ninety years ago my grandmother planted two cedar trees in the front yard of the old farm house she moved into with my grandfather. She died within a few years, but those trees lived and grew. I climbed in those trees as a kid and played in their shade on hot summer days.

Nearby were several apple trees that had been planted later. Each year they would take on an air of splendor when filled with ripe apples and their leaves turned red and yellow. They simply stole the show with that burst of energy.

Over a period of years and one after another those apple trees lost limbs and died. They took with them their splendor and their apples. But those cedar trees…they grew taller and taller. My grandmother’s great-grandchildren grew up playing in their shade. They stand today as beautiful as ever, a consistent green day after day and year after year.

Some Christians are a lot like those apples trees. They are charismatic and burn bright. That’s ok…God has given us all types of personalities and the church benefits from each one. But being an apple tree is not ok if they burn out and eventually disappear. We’ve all known Christians like this. They show up and stand out in the crowd, but they don’t last. It’s sad…for them and us.

Other Christians are a lot like those cedar trees. Year after year they “do their thang.” They are dependable saints who quietly and faithfully fulfill the purpose God has given them in life. They outlast those who only burn bright for a season and their contributions to our church and God’s kingdom are too numerous to name.

I have a photograph of my grandfather lying in the grass beneath those cedar trees his young bride planted. In the picture he’s an old man watching my sister and baby brother play. I remember the day well because I’m the one who took the photograph.

I also remember countless men and women who stayed the course…who lasted. Some of them are now in heaven and others are still serving our Lord. I thank God for each of them. They are the tall spiritual cedar trees of First Baptist Church.

Pastor Steve Hogg