Shade trees are an oasis of pleasure during the height of summer. In winter, the leaves are fallen, and only bare limbs remain. Our expectation? Once spring arrives, we want to see the fresh leaves of the upcoming season burst forth.
Leaves are all we desire from a shade tree. Yet, the same is not true for a fruit tree. We have a completely different set of expectations. We look for that first bloom on the branch, the one that says fruit will one day take its place. We will soon see that apple or orange or pear.
It is the fruit that drives our enjoyment of the tree.
What if no fruit is produced? We have blooms, but the summer ripens, and there is no fruit. We are disappointed, of course, and we hope the next year will be better.
And if it is not? How many years do we wait for our tree to produce the fruit we expect?
Luke 13:9 tells us to enjoy the trees that produce good fruit. However, if we have been patient, and the fruit never comes, then we have to make the hard decision.
The tree must be pruned, even to the last branch.
When God sanctifies us, we become his fruit trees. He wants us to produce the fruits of the Spirit. When we prune from our lives dead wood and limbs that do not reflect the love of Christ, then we become oases not just of shade, but also of nourishment to the hungry.
We will have become what he wants us to be.
It is the love of God that people see in us that tells them of the fruit we will produce. Let's make sure they see the fruits of the Spirit, and not the fruits of the world.
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Code: FGO.K.24.13b.vp