Are You Bearing Fruit?

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

Jesus said: ‘A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’’ But he answered and said to him, ‘‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down’’’ (vv. 6-9). How long have you been serving the Lord? What are the tangible ‘fruits’ of your service to Him? We’re not all capable of the same level of productivity. Jesus taught that some of us have thirtyfold potential, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold (Matthew13:8). It’s your faith and your gifting that determine your level of productivity. For example, God doesn’t expect a ‘thirtyfolder’ to produce a sixtyfold harvest. He’s not an unreasonable taskmaster. But if this parable teaches us anything, it’s that God won’t let you just sit on your hands and do nothing. The words, ‘cut it down’, are a sobering reminder of this. God is patient. He will work with you year after year in an attempt to bring you to the place of spiritual maturity where you can fulfil the purpose for which He brought you into His kingdom. But if after all His efforts you refuse to produce fruit, He will go elsewhere and find what He’s looking for. The main thing is, in the end, God’s purposes will be fulfilled! God doesn’t save us because of our “fruit”, He saves us FOR fruit which he has prepared in advance for us. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to see and fulfill Your purpose for me to Bear Fruit for You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen