Psalm 92:12-13 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon . 13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

  We should all be so happy that Our Father in Heaven does not want His children wandering around through life wondering if they really belong to Him.  God wants us to know beyond all doubt that we are part of His eternal family, and throughout His holy word He has given us check points to help us know and to be assured of our spiritual paternity.  For example, it has been said that the little epistle of First John is the biblical checklist for Christians.  In fact we are specifically told, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God”  (1John 5:13).  Reading through that little book, it is easy to see why John made such a claim for his little book, but reading the entire Bible will, I believe, show us that First John is only a condensed checklist reflecting things found throughout the entire Bible.

  The verses before us today offer us another very reliable indicator of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  It will tell us first of all if we are truly in a saving relationship and secondly it will tell us of the health of that relationship.  Let’s see what it says.

  “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.”  That word “flourish” means “to bud, to blossom.”  I love being associated with a church with so many little babies.  As they are born and begin to grow we can see their personalities begin to blossom and develop.  So it should be with those who are born spiritually into the family of God.  2Corinthians 5:17 tells us that all who are in Christ Jesus are new creations.  One good check to know if we are truly saved is, “Do I recognize the development of my new personality or am I much the same as I was before?”

  There is one more thing about palm trees.  We have two of them right in front of our house, and we know that their fronds remain green even in the coldest winter.  How do we do when cold, threatening weather is all around us?

  The next thing our passage for today tells us is, “He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”  Are we growing in our relationship with the Lord, in our love for and submission to Him and in our love for our fellow man?  All living  things grow throughout their lifetimes, and if we look closely at our spiritual lives and see no growth, that is probably a good indication that either we aren’t truly saved or that we are truly sickl in our relationship with God.

  There is also something distinctive about cedars.  The fragrant wood has been used for centuries to repel destructive pests in our homes.  Does our life now repel those influences that tend to be destructive to our spiritual life?  If not, we may not be saved or we may not be healthy Christians.  

  Finally, our passage tells us in vs. 13, “Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.”  The idea of being “planted” causes us to think of something being pulled up from one place and set in another place.  As we reflect on our spiritual experiences do we know for certain that we have been uprooted from Satan’s seed bed of sin and transplanted in the garden of God? 

  Then in that same verse we are given another important marker.  Please note the references to “the house of the Lord” and “the courts of our God.”  How do we feel about the church, the house of the Lord?  Is it essential to us to be part of a local church?  Are we planted there with our roots going deep and our branches reaching upward?  Are we connected to the courts of God so that we can bear fruit for the Master?  Our answers to those little questions will do much to tell us about our spiritual condition?  Now, a bigger question:  If you had only these two verses to tell you whether or not you are truly saved, what would you be thinking about your spiritual status right now?  Be honest about this one because the answer has eternal implications.