Fruit trees do not mature quickly. Apple trees bear fruit for the first time in the fourth or fifth year. Fig trees, cherry trees, and plum trees bear fruit at three to five years. Pears at four to six years. Clearly if you plan to farm fruit, you will have to be patient: it does not happen overnight.
Still, how long do you wait? When the apple tree hits year five and still bears no fruit, a farmer might give it one more year, but after that, the tree is coming down. Why let it waste the space and the nutrients?
“And He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none. He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the soil?’ But the worker replied, ‘Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. Perhaps it will bear fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down’” Luke 13:6-9.
Fig trees bear fruit at three to five years—and interestingly, in some tropical climates, once they begin, they can bear fruit year round. But other conditions can keep them from bearing fruit at all: too much shade, too little water, lack of nutrients, illness.
Are we bearing fruit? Are you?
If you are walking with the Lord, He will use you to bear fruit. But your soul needs the LIGHT of His word and the NUTRITION of being fed by the word and by other believers.
If you are feeding on God’s word, being encouraged by other Christians, and spending time with Jesus every day, you will bear fruit. Be willing to share your faith, to talk about God. He will take care of the rest.
God, help us bear fruit for You, help us make it a priority. Prune us so we bear MORE fruit!
Read Luke 13.
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