Thursday, July 25, 2019

Fruit bearing faith

Then he [Jesus] told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.” Luke 13:6

The expectation of the Lord is for His children to bear fruit. A life without fruit takes up space, instead of being an expression of God’s grace. Our Heavenly Father is patient, however He does draw a line in the sand of time and says to individuals, institutions and nations, repent or lose My favor. A soul or society that is barren of fruitful faith will eventually see God move on to those governed by His principles. The fruit of faith flourishes in a heart cultivated by Christ.

What fruit is your faith producing? The fruit of peace comes as you plant the seeds of trust in Jesus. Patience’s fruit appears as you prayerfully water the seeds of God’s grace. The fruit of perseverance is produced when you fertilize with faith in the goodness of God. Humility’s fruit blossoms when your Heavenly Father sows His loving kindness into your soul. Furthermore, a harvest of good deeds (enough to fill a barn) occurs when death to self brings to life your love!

“I [Jesus] am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:1-2).

The mercy of the Lord does include a pruning process. Instead of immediately removing a fruitless faith He gives it time to grow by the shears of suffering. Yes, pain is meant to purge us from unhealthy habits and remind us of our undeniable dependence on Christ. Our Heavenly husband cuts back our branches diseased by sin. Jesus, our vine of spiritual nutrients, feeds our faith. Then the Holy Spirit creates blossoms in our life by bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

Otherwise, if the compassionate and thorough work of the Trinity is ignored, we are in danger of being cut off from the life-giving grace of the Father, Son and Spirit. Furthermore, we are commanded by Christ to spread the manure of His mercy around the base of the unhealthy lives we influence. Yes, our service may smell repulsive to sinful souls, but our relentless love and forgiveness may facilitate fruit with the sweet aroma of salvation. Fruitful faith enjoys God’s favor.

“The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:8-9).

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