Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church
On most days I walk to church. On my way home on this warm, October day, I was praying and giving thanks to the Lord and I noticed a beaming-bright red tree in front of me. The branches were dancing in the wind and the colors seized and captured me. I picked just one of the low-hanging leaves from this tree that may extend 40 feet in the air. This leaf that I picked launched me into worship as I gave thanks to the Lord for His magnificence. Suddenly, a neighbor greeted me. Perhaps he wondered why my lips were moving and why I seemed to be happily muttering to myself walking down the road. For a brief time, this conversation diverted my attention off of the leaf but when I returned home, I opened my computer and jotted down a few ways that I can learn from this leaf. To be specific, I have noted twelve ways that we can learn about God from this leaf.
From this leaf, I see the following features of our great God.
1. Design of God
This leaf sings to the wondrous design of God. God had a purpose in this leaf and in placing it where he did on the particular branch that He did and allowing it to dangle in front of me as I was walking by. The design of God is far more complex and glorious than even the best of men could replicate. This leaf teaches me the wondrous and unspeakable design of God.
2. Creativity of God
I’m a fairly routine guy (some may call that boring!). I’ve not been gifted with lots of creativity. But I can’t help but marvel at the creativity of God who masterfully planned, worked, accomplished and upheld this little leaf. Leaves aren’t the same. There’s lots of shapes, colors, sizes, thickness, weight and purposes for leaves. But this particular leaf serves a very precise purpose by God’s creative plan.
3. Power of God
I learn about the power of God in gazing upon this leaf. I can’t create a leaf; neither can you. But the amazing ability of God to design a leaf and then create it perfectly and then uphold it consistently is a remarkable testimony to the omnipotence of our great and kind God.
4. Life of God
I need lots of things for life. I need water. I need oxygen. This little leaf needs nutrients. That’s why it was connected to the branch. Both this leaf and I depend on something else for life and sustenance, but God Himself needs nothing outside of Himself for life. He is the very essence of life. He depends upon nothing for his well-being. But this leaf will soon die because I have severed it from the tree from which it received its nutrients. But God, however, is perfectly full of infinite life and sweet satisfactions in and of Himself. We depend utterly and fully upon Him.
5. Provision of God
How did this leaf grow to the size that it is? How did it sustain its health and life? The answer simply is by the wondrously caring and enormously intricate provision of God. God cares for His creation and He provided the nutrients needed from the tree, from the roots, from branch, and from this stem to sustain its life. God Himself receives glory in providing for everything -- even this leaf.
6. Precision of God
Just before my neighbor interrupted my silent musings on the glory of God from this red leaf, I was staring at the backside of the leaf and marveling at all of the veins. And there are many of them. God is very detailed because He is a precise God. There are many veins in this leaf that all jut out of the main stem. They serve a very precise purpose in this one, single particular leaf. This reminded me that I serve a God who cares about details. He’s very precise, perfect, detailed.
7. Sustenance of God
We may feed our animals and water our flowers but who cared for this leaf? Why did it last as long as it lasted on that particular branch? Who kept it there? Who upheld it? Who kept it connected? Who provided for it? The answer to all these questions is God. By his infinite wisdom and very-present power, He sustained this leaf on that branch by His own Word. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself upholds all things in the entire universe -- and that surely includes the red leaf that I plucked today.
8. Sovereignty of God
In the eternal decrees of God, what a breathtaking thought that God ordained that this leaf would be plucked by me today and that it would catapult me into a season of worship and wonder. Who would have thought? Just one leaf? Perhaps that was one of the purposes of this particular leaf that God made. In His sovereign plan, He knew that this particular leaf would serve a purpose until a particular day and time when I would pluck it (and would soon die afterwards). What a God who reigns supremely over all His creation and who works all things together in His providential plans to bring Himself great glory and to gladden the hearts of His people.
9. Beauty of God
No one can make a green leaf and turn it into an apple-red, brilliantly-shining leaf but God. No one has this beauty. This red leaf paraded the glory of God before my eyes as I saw His matchlessness and His satisfactions and His delightfulness. No one can compare with Him. O to behold God’s beauty more and to gaze upon His glory often! May God ravish us with His beauties as we see Him in His creation and praise Him for His wonders.
10. Inexhaustibility of God
This leaf teaches me another element about God: he is inexhaustible. He is infinite. None can fathom Him. The Creator stands high above His creation. The Maker is infinitely above the items that He made. Here is a leaf full of intricacies and clear revelations of the mind of God. And yet, it causes me to marvel at the inexhaustibility of God. Who has counseled God? Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who taught God to do this? O that I may fall down before the wisdom and knowledge and glory of this great God!
11. Wrath of God
This leaf is soon to die. It certainly must die. Most assuredly I am convinced that this leaf, because it is severed from the the life of the tree, will wither and die before long. So it is with everyone who is not connected to, abiding in, trusting in Jesus Christ. He Himself is the Life. All who are apart from Christ have no life in themselves and will most assuredly die. They must die. Those who are not abiding in the vine will be cut off and thrown into the fire. What a sobering reminder from this little leaf about the urgency of finding life in Jesus Christ, the One who gives Life!
12. Blessedness of God
Why has God made so many leaves? I contemplated that there are so many leaves. It's incalculable really. So, Why has God made so many of them? What purpose do they serve? What about those at the very top of a tree or those hidden deep in the inner recesses of an unexplored forest? What purpose do they have? I believe the answer is they ring loudly and exist joyously to give glory to God. God is infinitely happy and blessed and these leaves exist for no other purpose but to give happiness and joy to God. He takes pleasure in His creation and that surely includes leaves -- even if no one researches it or no person notices it or no animal uses it. This particular leaf, then, gives exceeding joy and abundant happiness to God.
