Matthew Chapter 7 Vs.16You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick up grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Vs.17: A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.Vs.18: A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit.
Vs.19: So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.
Vs.20: Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions
I stand amazed at how Jesus loves trees so much. In the beginning when he created the heavens and the earth, one of his most precious creation was the land. In the book of Genesis 1:11 God said "Let the land sprout with vegetation-every sort of seed bearing plant, and trees that grow seed bearing fruit. These trees will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came. Vs: 12 says: Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. This was his THIRD DAY of creation.
It was God who, in the very beginning of creation, ordained that every tree should bear the fruit of its kind. No good tree will bear bad fruit and no bad tree will bear good fruit.
Jesus compares two types of fruits here: Figs and grapes. I am sure he loves these two fruits. Everywhere in the Bible He mentions about the fig tree and about the grapes,the vine and the branches.
John 15th Chapter. He even compares himself to the true grapevine. That is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible.
Jesus tells us that grapes can never come of out of thornbushes and you cannot pick figs from thistles.
Apple juice can never come out of grapes and grape juice can never come out of apples.
Having studied my Agricultural Sciences, plants and their qualities always intrigued me.
A plant or a tree cannot come up on its own. You need to prepare the land first, for a seed to be sown. You just cannot sow seeds anywhere you like. We need to do something called Preparatory cultivation. We need to break all the soil, take out all weeds and unnecessary material from the soil and make it available for the seeds to be sown.
Once we do all that, then we need to make furrows and ridges and then sow the seeds. Once done, then you need to water them and after few days based on the quality of the seed, a little sapling comes out. If the seed is dormant, then you do not see any sapling coming out of it.
That is how important the quality of a seed is. A good seed will produce a good plant and vice versa. The cycle goes on and on. God ordained in the beginning that every tree will bear fruit of its own kind.
My parents cannot give birth to you or your parents give birth to me, right? They bore me and not you. I gave birth to my little Jordan, I cannot give birth to your child.
It is the same principle here in the Bible. Jesus compares us to a tree in the Bible and he clearly mentions that if we do not bear good fruit, then we will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.
Jesus does not just ask us to bear any fruit. We need to bear good fruit. People identify us by our actions. Our fruit is nothing but our own actions. When you identify yourself as a Christian, are you also identified by your actions? Or are you just identified as a hypocrite? Imagine my name is FIG and my actions are like thistles- so sharp and dry and of no use to anyone.
What good am I? I need to be cut off and cast into fire.
Friends, for us to bear good fruit, we need to be in a place that is fertile. A place that will enhance our multiplication. A tree cannot bear fruit without water and other essential nutrients.
I love the Psalms of King David. He is another lover of trees. Ofcourse! No wonder he was called the MAN AFTER GOD's own heart!
In the very first chapter of Psalms, he compares a Blessed man (who delights in the law of the Lord and who meditates on His law day and night) to that of a tree planted by the streams of water which bears its own fruit each season. The leaves never wither and whatever he does will prosper.
Many times, I live a life in which no matter what I do, I will not prosper. I am not preaching prosperity gospel here. I just want myself to be aware that I too, will be like the tree planted by the streams of water,bearing its fruit in its own season, with my leaves green and fresh, and with everything prosperous in my life when I delight in the Law of the Lord, when I meditate on His law day and night.
The Psalmist compares our soul to that of a DEER, and he compares water brooks to God.
Just as the Deer pants for water brooks, are our souls panting for God who so freely gives us living waters so that we will not thirst anymore?
Are the roots of our trees deeply rooted in Him and Him alone? Are they rooted into fertile soil( His word) ?
Are you prosperous(bearing good fruit in each season) or are you slowly withering away?
If you are not bearing good fruit, then sad will be your fate, my friend! You will be cast into fire for eternity.
Just because you are a tree you that does not mean you will bear fruit anyway. Just because that is your nature. You cannot bear fruit until and unless you are by the streams of water and until and unless you are close to the vine, you cannot bear fruit. You cannot be fruitful until you remain in Jesus (John 15: 4)
If you remain in Him, He will remain in you. You, my friend cannot do anything by being apart from God. You will be prosperous when you remain in Him and ask whatever you want, it will be granted to you. Whatever you do will prosper if you remain in Him. You need to remain in HIm and His words have to remain in you.
Friends, when things are going well, we feel elated. When hardships come, we sink into depression. But true joy transcends the rolling waves of circumstances. Joy comes from a consistent relationship with Jesus Christ.
When our lives (branches) are intertwined with Him(The true Vine) He will help us walk through our depression, our failures and our adversities. The joy of living with Jesus Christ daily will keep us level headed, no matter how high or low our circumstances are.
Therefore, we need to remain in our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to remain in His word, and we need to remain in His love. When we obey the LORD, His love remains in us and we will be filled with joy and your joy will overflow (John 15:11)
Finally, my friend- Be reminded that you did not chose God, God chose you and he appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit. Because His love remains in us, we need to love others, because He gives us joy that is overflowing, radiate that joy to others.
When you do what he wants you to do, then you will be prosperous. Ask whatever you want and he will give it to you just for His glory. (John 15: 16)
We need to love each other in the same manner Jesus loved us. He laid down his life for you. Imagine Jesus asked me to lay down my life for someone? It is so hard, isnt it?
All he is asking of you is to love others not to lay down your life for them. Friends, I know it is so hard to love someone who hurt you, someone who caused you pain. But we need to love them because Jesus loved us. Are you perfect? Are you pure? Are you holy? No we are not. I am not. I AM the greatest SINNER that ever lived on this planet. Just yesterday I finally could pray for someone who hurt me so badly even though those scars I still see to this day.
Isaiah 64:6 compares our righteousness to filthy rags. If our righteousness is like filthy rags, then what about our sins? Is there any other kind of rag it can be compared to?
How sad!! We look so lovely, so pure, so holy, so righteous to the world. How is Jesus viewing you today?
Would you like to rest in green meadows? do you love to be lead beside peaceful streams. I do. I want to sleep for a whole month undisturbed. I am so rest deprived after a long month of sadness by the loss of our second pregnancy and with the severe sickness of my little Jordan. I want to be lead to the green meadows and peaceful streams. My mum's friend: Auntie Beckie wanted us to come to her home to sleep while Jordan is resting. If she can offer me such warmth, what about my Father in heaven? Our shepherd knows very well that green meadows and peaceful streams will restore us. We will reach these places only by following him obediently. Rebelling against the shepherd's leading is actually rebelling against our own best interests. Next time you are tempted to go on your own way, be reminded of the Shepherd's way.
Are you leaning on your own abilities to rescue you, your beauty to restore you and your broken marriage? Are you leaning on your achievements to aquire love and affection from the world?
If so you are headed the broad way of destrution the eternal fire.
Come back to Him, take an exit now. Confess your pride, your arrogance and your ignorance and come back and be intertwined with the Lord to bear good fruit.
I still struggle to be intertwined with Him my precious VINE!
Oh! How I miss him today.. I just want to be intertwined to my Jesus now and forever. When I am in Him, I forgive, I love, I care, I rejoice in my trials, in my losses, in my suffering, in my pain, I bear good fruit and I will not wither away.
Galatians 3:13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law, when he was hung the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree".
Jesus, my friends, was hung on a tree for you and me. He took our curse, he took our sin, our guilt, our shame, our sickness and he redeemed us from them all.
The first tree brought sin and chaos into this world. The tree of knowledge of Good and evil and the final tree- the cross of calvary brought redemption and peace to mankind (Taken from my Pastor's sermon notes)
Let us therefore intimately introspect our lives: Why are you away from Him? Are you in Him, his love and His word? Or are you wandering away from him and withering away without His help?
Come back and be intertwined with Jesus. Are you thirsty for name, fame, success, money, riches which are all temporary or are you thirsty for living waters which are eternal? Come to him and he will fill you up so that you will not thirst anymore.
Who are you intertwined with? What are you thirsty for?
We think our prayers are not answered, our needs are not met, our marriages are still broken, our bank accounts are still dry, our debts are unpaid, bills are piling up with no help in sight.
Friend,the word of God so clearly tells us that whatever we ask in His name will be granted to us, will be answered by our God provided we remain in Him, we remain in His love, we remain in His word. Are you remaining in Him?
The meaning for REMAIN is to continue to stay in the same state or condition or continue to stay behind while others withdraw or it is to endure or persist.
If your prayers are unanswered, if you are not having a break through is because you are not intertwined with your VINE- THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!
Quit complaining about Him and start remaining in Him, His word, and His love.
As you listen to the song as the deer panteth for water.. let us intimately introspect our lives today.
Be Blessed and be a Blessing.
