Hi Brian!
I found this from Charles Spurgeon on my PC Study Bible and thought it was very interesting!
"The
trees of the Lord are full of sap."— Psalm 104:16
Without sap
the tree cannot flourish or even exist. Vitality is essential to a Christian.
There must be life—a vital principle infused into us by God the Holy Spirit, or
we cannot be trees of the Lord. The mere name of being a Christian is but a
dead thing, we must be filled with the spirit of divine life. This life is
mysterious. We do not understand the circulation of the sap, by what force it
rises, and by what power it descends again. So the life within us is a sacred
mystery. Regeneration is wrought by the Holy Spirit entering into man and
becoming man's life; and this divine life in a believer afterwards feeds upon
the flesh and blood of Christ and is thus sustained by divine food, but whence
it cometh and whither it goeth who shall explain to us? What a secret thing the
sap is! The roots go searching through the soil with their little spongioles,
but we cannot see them suck out the various gases, or transmute the mineral into
the vegetable; this work is done down in the dark. Our root is Christ Jesus,
and our life is hid in Him; this is the secret of the Lord. The radix* of the
Christian life is as secret as the life itself. How permanently active is the
sap in the cedar! In the Christian the divine life is always full of energy—not
always in fruit-bearing, but in inward operations. The believer's graces, are
not every one of them in constant motion? but his life never ceases to
palpitate within. He is not always working for God, but his heart is always
living upon Him. As the sap manifests itself in producing the foliage and fruit
of the tree, so with a truly healthy Christian, his grace is externally
manifested in his walk and conversation. If you talk with him, he cannot help
speaking about Jesus. If you notice his actions you will see that he has been
with Jesus. He has so much sap within, that it must fill his conduct and
conversation with life.
*a source or origin of something. "Judaism is the radix of Christianity"
This is what is so obvious and evident in you and Kristine! The life and nature of God, whether you even mention Him or not, is what shines through. You are both becoming more like Him, yet you are both unique in personality, interests, gifts, talents and strengths. You are finding favor because people are seeing HIS life and nature through you. And THAT is exactly how every believer is supposed to operate in all of our individual uniqueness! GOALS! I want to be more like you two! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Never Walk Alone" because we never do!
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
