“They (people who delight in everything God wants them to do) are like trees along a river bank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail” Psalm 1:3
The timing couldn’t have been better. My husband was home for a few days between trips, the weather was great, the grandchildren were out of school an hour early and the apples were ripe and ready to be picked.
As Marvin started the tractor, our daughter and granddaughters stepped into the front scoop and they all headed off to the big old apple tree in the middle of our pasture. Picking apples from the elevated scoop is so much easier than using a ladder. I watched them for a while and then decided to join them. I couldn’t stay in the house working on the computer when they were having so much fun.
We were all laughing. The girls loved picking the apples and we ended up with a large container full. I was amazed at how many apples that old tree produced. It was old when we first moved to the property 14 years ago. The trunk of the tree was almost completely rotten. How did it get its nourishment to produce leaves and fruit, I wondered? I came to the conclusion that because it was so old, its roots had grown very deep into the soil and they nourished the tree.
Christians also produce fruit in season and out of season, not just when we look and feel good. My brother had Lou Gehrig’s disease and spent his last two years in a long-term care hospital. Even though he was confined to a wheelchair and couldn’t speak, he radiated Christ. People would come to see him just so they could sit in his presence. He prayed all the time. At his memorial, his nurses all came. They openly shared that they would come to his room and tell him more than they told their significant other. Several of these nurses came to faith in Christ. Even though Frank’s body was decaying, he was rooted and grounded in Christ.
How are you doing today? Feeling a little discouraged because you cannot “do” all the things you used to be able to do? Let me encourage you to “be.” Abide in Christ and He will produce the fruit in and through you. Rest in Him and He will cause you to bear much fruit.
Father, thank You for producing fruit in and through us. Enable us to grow our roots deep into the knowledge of Your love so we will produce fruit whether we look or feel good or not. Thank You for telling us that we can’t do anything without Christ. It is good to know we can rely on You for everything. Amen.
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