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The other day, my husband, who plays the guitar, came across a site for guitar picks that are made of wood. Wooden picks, I thought? As he described the special wood that is used, I was intrigued and looked it up. The tree is called lignum vitae. I thought it was so interesting that I decided to share it with you. Here is what I found:

The tree’s wood was originally used and, in some cases, still used for…

* mallet heads
* axles
* bowling balls
* chisel handles
* other objects for absorbing great stress
* beer barrels
* propeller bushings, hydro bearings, ship bearings, saw blocks, other underwater applications for destroyers, submarines, mine sweepers, polar class icebreakers, and other large ship and unique products.

It is also used for medicinal purposes. Early in the 16th century, an explorer to the Caribbean heard about the tree and learned from the inhabitants that the tree contained curative properties for treating most ailments.

In recent times, scientists have found that two of the resin’s most active ingredients are effective as anti-inflammatory agents, local stimulants, and laxatives. The resin or balm also promotes circulation.

The resin is doubly useful for non-medicinal purposes and has one highly recognizable use. When it is mixed with an alcohol solution and sprayed on a surface, the mixture turns blue, revealing invisible blood traces by making it glow in the dark. This is the Luminol we see used as a forensic tool by the police and other investigators on television programs.

The lignum vitae tree, also called guaiac, has other very unique qualities, such as…

* it is highly durable
* if it burns, oil bubbles out
* it is slow-growing, broadleaf evergreen
* it is one of the hardest and heaviest woods
* it is exceptionally resistance to moisture and fungal attack
* it has a rich supply of fats and resins making the objects made from it contain natural lubricants and nearly impervious to water
* it offers extraordinary long life in what it produces.

The tree…

* is aromatic
* has no thorns
* is a strong structure
* is propagated by seed
* has a very showy trunk
* does not attract wildlife
* has no invasive potential
* is pest and disease resistance
* has blue flowers followed by golden fruit
* tolerates full sun or partial shade in a wide variety of soils
* its buds are heart-shaped and inside are the seeds of life and when it breaks open, it yields a red fruit.

Why do I bring you all this? For this very interesting point…lignum vitae is Latin for long life and has the name “tree of life.” I find that amazing!

Jesus is as our Tree of Life. This is what I see…

* He lubricates us with His oil of joy.
* He is Evergreen, giving us Eternal Life.
* He provides the golden fruit of the Spirit.
* His blood and grace are our precious balm.
* His Life is propagated by the seeds we sow.
* He is curative; His healing virtue flows through us.
* He brings extraordinary long life in what He produces.
* He gives us a rich supply of God’s grace and blessings.
* He bears the scars of the thorns that no longer surround Him.
* He is aromatic when the fragrance of His name is poured out.
* He keeps us hardened in order to withstand the storms of life.
* He makes us impervious to the penetrating waters of circumstances.
* He assists our growth, planting us in a wide variety of the soils of life.
* He is our strong structure, our high tower, our shelter from the enemy.
* He is our restorative oil of the Holy Spirit that life’s fiery trials attempt to destroy us.
* He sustains us to resist the infestuous pest and cures the venomous bite of the serpent.
* His balm produces the circulation in our spiritual veins necessary for living everyday life.
* He keeps us resistant to the spread of the spiritual fungi that attempt to attach to our spirits.
* He helps us tolerate the winds of adversity, the heat of the full sun in trials, and the shade of isolation.
* He is our anti-inflammatory agent, acting to reduce the inflammation of our hearts through pain and anger.
* Within His heart was that Seed of Life. When broken open, it yielded the scarlet fruit of salvation.

The Lord is the Tree of Life to us and “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (Rev. 2:7 NKJV) Jesus said, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” (John 10:28 NKJV)

May you know all the precious qualities of Jesus as the Tree of Life. What other qualities do you, my precious readers, see in Jesus?