Fruit!

Fruit!

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Matthew 7:17‭-‬20 KJV

Fruit is a function of seed. Seed goes into the ground unseen but its fruit is obvious and cannot be ignored. To get a good fruit, the seed must be good. Natural consequence that follows careful choosing, preparation, planting, fertilization, nurturing, weeding, watering and of course fruiting. The end is always the consequence of all the other activities that were put in. If you want to get a desired end, it all starts with the quality of the seed that starts the whole process.

By the nature of God's power, you cannot affect a thing without affecting its foundation. If you will spoil a good tree, you must first tamper with its good foundation. If you will raise up godless seed, you just ensure that they do not know the things of God or they are not bothered by the things God desires. Once the foundation is affected, the tree will only bring forth in line with the quality of its seed and preparation.

This is why you do not plant a good seed and go to sleep; you have to keep it free from whatever will pollute or corrupt it. What guards and controls am I putting in place to protect the integrity of the life of God in me? There is an eternal consequence to the requirement of fruitfulness. There will come a time when the ability to remain will be based on fruitfulness, not just being in place.

There are people who have been in a church community and do not get involved in anything. You are content with just coming and going; you take in all the nutrients available in God, yet nothing flows out of you to touch other people and bless their lives. Do you think God wastes resources? Would you not consider that the reason why men nurture a seed, plant it in a good soil and nurture it is because at the end, there will be enough to eat in the immediate, and save up for future planting? That is the same way God sees us: seed that He has planted and nurtured and made manifest to the world, so the world could be blessed by His life flowing out of our lives.

If I then do not fulfil purpose, why do I live? The end of a tree NOT bearing fruit is to be cut down, and then thrown into fire, where there will not be a chance of restoration. While I still have life in me, I cannot afford to take space and not impact my generation for God. I cannot be a consumer of resources and not become a producer of life in line with God's investments in me. The end of today's extract is quite insightful: it is not about how fine the leaves are, or how deep the roots go. Men can testify of the structure of your words and the quality of your presentation. Men can be moved by the outward appearance of piety and poise, but from God's perspective, the only thing that counts is the outflow that blesses people and draws them back to God.

If there is nothing at all in me that men see and want to go back to God, maybe I need to re-examine my present pursuits and priorities. If I am all noise and no message, then I may need to keep quiet and go back to the planter himself; the vinedresser, and ask Him to do His work in me, so that I can be all He has created me to be and that I may thrive wherever He plants me. Creation awaits my manifestation; I cannot be less than what God intends. His time of favour is here.