ÒTherefore by their fruits you will know them.Ó(Matthew 7:20)< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
Which tree are you in the hand of God? Are you a living tree or a living-dead tree? A living tree is one whose leaves are there and fruits are available to deliver when its creator shows up for need. A living-dead tree is one who has everything like the living tree but without fruit to deliver whenever is creator shows up for a need. What kind of tree are you in the hand of your creator? Are you a fruit-bearing tree or a fruitless tree? John 15:16, ÒYou did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain , that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.Ó Is that clear enough to determine the kind of fruit that you are? The one that created you called you out to serve Him. He expects you to be fruitful always. The creator did not make you for decoration, impressing observers, or being good for the eyes only, all that He wants from you is to be fruitful for His name to be glorified. He wants to be glorified every time people see you or deal with you. Whenever you are ridiculed because of lack of fruitfulness, His name is also ridiculed. There are God-created trees for His name to be glorified today, but the unfruitfulness of most of the trees are bringing nothing to the creator but shame, ridicule, embarrassment, lack of respect, and lack of fear to the name of the Almighty Creator. What kind of tree are you? You are either a fruit-producing tree or a fruitless tree. The evidence of a fruitful tree are stated in Galatians 5:22, ÒBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such there is no law.Ó Where do you stand? Everything contrary to fruit bearing is fruitless. Unforgiveness, bitterness, deception, manipulation, lying, speaking evil of others, envy, selfishness, full of partiality, hypocrisy, pride, and arrogance, are contrary to fruitfulness. Where do you abide? Where you are abiding will definitely determine your fruitfulness. Remember, all you want is to be a fruitful tree. John 15:7-8, ÒIf you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.Ó Your only way of becoming a fruitful tree is to give a careful and proper attention to the word of God. Jesus referred to the seed as the word of God (Luke < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>8:11). All of His words are to give a fruitful life, and the evidence of a fruitful life is joy. To have joy is to abide. John 15:11, ÒThese things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy maybe full.Ó You can be full of life when you abide in the word of God. When you choose not to abide, you become a living dead like the fig tree. Matthew 21:18-19, ÒNow in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was Hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, ÔLet no fruit grow on you ever again.ÕÓ Immediately, the fig tree withered away.Ó A tree that was supposed to be fruitful was fruitless. It was not fruitless to itself alone but also to the creator. The one that gave you life expects you to be a fruitful creation. As a living creation of God, to be unproductive or fruitless for His glory is to be a living dead. Jesus did not curse the tree to die; all that He said was for the tree to remain fruitless since the tree does not have anything to show for at the time He showed up. Mark 11:20, ÒNow in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.Ó Can you take a moment and think if you are being fruitful to the glory of God? The fig tree was a disappointment to GodÕs glory. Have you been a pretender just like the fruitless fig tree? The leaves on the fig tree were rich and attractive, its leaves were inviting, loud, and clear just like a loud ÒAmen!Ó, but it does not have anything to offer for the main purpose of living. The tree has been living a fruitless life up until the Creator requested an account of its fruit. Are you doing the same? You are accountable to the Lord. When Jesus showed up, it was a time of accountability, but the fig tree did not have any fruit to account for. As a result, its life has to be taken back from him. God wants you to be fruitful for His glory at His time of visitation. Your growth in the things of the world without the word of God will qualify you as unfruitful.
ÒAnd who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?Ó(1Peter 3:13)
ÒTherefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.Ó (James 4:17)