4.9.13

Luke 13:6-9 Then Jesus told this story: "A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there were any fruit on it, but he was always dissapointed.  Finally, he said to his gardener, 'I have waited three years; and there hasn't been a single fig! Cut it down. It's just taking up space in the garden.'

The gardener answered, 'Sir, give it one more chance.  Leave it another year and I'll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer.  If we get figs next  year fine.  If not, the you can cut it down."

 

My Thoughts

This is a powerful story.  It tells me that God expects us, as His children to produce good fruit.  When we ask Jesus into our heart God expects to see evidence of the love He gives us.  This story also tells me that God give us time to grow in Him...and He gives time for the evidence of His love to show through us. 

 

There are several places in the Bible where it talks about us showing the fruit of God's love in our life.  If we are truly changed by God, that change will show.  The gardener would save the fig tree if there were only one fig, just one sign of change.  God knows that it takes each of us different times to show the fruits of His love, and He accepts that.  He even accepts the prayers of Jesus, on our behalf, to give us another chance to show those fruits.  This story says to me that in the end we have to show evidence, even if it is just a tiny bit of evidence, in our lives that we love and accept Jesus as our Savior to be counted as a one of God's children.