by Rivers of Living Water
BLOG POST
Flourish -
Their leaves ever-green
Their roots healthy and strong
Their fruit is sweet
They are beautiful to behold
Their purpose fulfilled
Abiding in God through His Word and Holy Spirit causes us to bear the fruit that remains. An example of a tree that wasn’t rooted in truth is the fig tree on the side of the road. In that account, Jesus walked upon it to eat of its fruit, there was none and He cursed the tree. Within 24 hours, the tree withered away and was no longer a candidate for productivity, unable to produce future fruit. Why? Its roots weren’t abiding. Its potential to produce good, pleasant, edible fruits was non-existent. Jesus knew its roots were dried up, perhaps rotten. He knows the inward workings of everything He created. We look at the “green leaves” on the fig tree — but the Lord knew the roots or inner workings of the tree were dead. I’ve always wondered what caused the Lord to curse the tree? Could it be that the tree wasn’t by a river of living water? In thinking about a river, the water is alive with movement and teeming with life.
Our outward appearance could be just like this example. We look good, smiling and styling, but on the inside, we are full of unforgiveness, envy, and jealousy, pride, selfishness, malice, or any other negative emotion our souls' host. Underneath that facade lies all this. And all this will produce, no matter how good you think you look, is bad fruit. We are admonished in scripture about the inward man which is the true man. Just like the fig tree looking fruitful on the outside but no fruit because of the hidden things on the inside.
Stop and ponder this! What does your inward deep down underneath roots consist of? Will you produce edible fruit or bruised inedible, worm-infested fruit? Think about the time you went to the store and picked a piece of fruit, say watermelon, coconut, or pineapple that looked good but when you cut into it, it was terrible, inside discoloration, overripe, not sweet or juicy? It looked good on the outside. That’s how we look when we hold onto the aforementioned negative emotions.
Non-Producing trees will be cut and cast down into the fire. This is something to ponder. When you plant something there’s an expectation of a yield because that’s the nature of a seed tree or any vegetation. Even grass is expected to produce more grass. Every seed after its own kind. Jesus was planted in man’s death and resurrected to God’s eternal life! In Scripture, He is referred to as “the first fruits” of many. I see John 3:16 as: “For God so loved the world that He sowed love — Jesus was sown in death and sprung forth to eternal life!
Webster’s Dictionary defines fruitfulness (a noun which is a person, place, or thing):
1 a : yielding or producing fruit
b : conducive to an abundant yield
2 : abundantly productive <a fruitful discussion>k
synonyms see fertile
fruit·ful·ly \-fə-lē\ adverb
fruit·ful·ness noun
To be fruitful and multiply, producing fruit that remains, we must be redeemed. Only by the Spirit of God will we be able to be like a tree planted by rivers of living water. We must allow God’s salvation and redemption to change us. More than 32 times in the Bible, the Lord references fruitfulness. And in a certain instance, the fruitfulness dried up. Why because a lack of water caused it to dry. In Scripture, we understand Holy Spirit is referred to as Living Water. I know we are to be filled as the Lord promised leaving us with an Helper — precious Holy Spirit. Without the help of Holy Spirit we cannot bear fruit.
The type of fruit God wants us to produce is defined in Scripture as … Eph.5 (22 love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23 Meekness, temperance: … Eph.5 (9 the fruit of the spirit is goodness, righteousness, and truth. We are admonished in Col.1 (10 ..., being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Dear friend, whether you know it or not, acknowledge it or not, you are known by the fruit in your life. You may try to camouflage the hidden things but God knows your heart and He wants you to live a fruitful life. Producing good things that will bless others. See, Matt. 7:19.
What kind of fruit are you producing?
All scripture references are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Genesis 1:22, 28; Matthew 17:19, 33; John 15:16; John 14:16; Galatians 5:22-23; Colossians 1:10
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