“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.” (Luke 6:43-44)
The motivations of the beginning of the year, the good intentions of New Years’s resolutions have now passed. We are nearly into May of our calendar year. What kind of fruit is your life producing? I continue to feel as though I am swaying back and forth between being fruitful and wasting away.
So much of the time of one who lives with any illness is spent on managing the illness. today, as I left the rheumatologist ‘s office I scheduled 5 more appointments; 2 four-hour infusions, 3 more for knee injections and more office visits. And this is just one office and one doctor, not the others I have left to schedule. When is there time to be fruitful?
In the example above Jesus says that good trees do not bear bad fruit, and bad trees do not bear good fruit. But ever tree does experience seasons. Some seasons there is fruit and green leaves; other times the trees are dormant and by looking at the good tree, you could assume it had even died.
Like the trees, we have seasons in our life too. Sometimes we will bear good fruit, other times we won’t have much fruit on our branches. Many fruit trees bear their fruit in alternate years. One year they may over produce and the next year underproduce. What causes the tree to underproduce? It was not pruned or thinned enough. After pruning, a trees will bear more fruit, and that fruit will be much sweeter.
Do you see a metaphor here of your life?
I see many of you each day who feel badly about what you cannot do, what you offer–or not; basically about a lack of fruit you feel you are producing for God’s glory. Please remember that you may be in a dormant season just now. Or you may be bearing some fruit, but God is pruning it off as quickly as you produce it–because He knows it will then multiply next year and be even more fruitful. Only God gets to decide who long those dormant seasons last, so it truly is in His hands.
Prayer: Lord, I look around at my friends or other people at the church and I keep hearing myself say, “You should be doing more! You aren’t really that bad, are you?” Remind me that to surrender it to You so I always am one of your good tress and help me to accept the seasons of dormancy.
About the Author:
Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and she lives in San Diego with her husband and son. She is gradually learning how to balance motherhood, family, illness, and ministry, but she still knows it will be a lifetime lesson. You can see the books she has written, including, Why Can’t I Make People Understand? at the Rest Ministries shop.
You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com
Have you ever had a season of dormancy, but the next season you felt like the “fruit you produced” was somehow sweeter? How does it make you feel to be reminded at you are a “good tree” in God’s eyes, you are just bring pruned or maybe in a season of dormancy?
Chronic Illness Pain Daily Devotionals 