Where’s The Fruit? (Part II)
October 20th, 2009 by Victor
In light of last week’s post, consider the following:
Luke 13:6-9 – And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’”
We again see that Jesus is intent on getting his disciples to understand the importance of them responding to the gospel to the point of it effecting their lives. And while God is merciful and will help those who have not yet turned, there is a “cut off” point that does come for everyone. This is a sobering picture into, as Paul says in Romans 11:22, “the kindness and severity of God.”
This short parable also tells us that God is willing to help and do what is needed so that that tree which is barren can be revived and grow again – but, if after His intervention the tree still does not produce fruit, there is no purpose for that tree to remain in his field.
Ask yourself, “do I see fruit in my life?” We cannot continue to live “thinking” we are Christians when the evidence is not clear. Examine your relationships and ask “is there fruit here?” Look at your home life and ask “is there fruit here?” If there is, rejoice and ask God to keep fertilizing you so more can grown. If not, ask God to help you change and act so that the plant that is dried and be brought to life. God is willing to help, but there is no time to waste.
How quickly I can grow dry & barren, if I am not abiding in Jesus on not just a daily basis, but a moment by moment, breath by breath, thought by thought basis. Jesus and his words must penetrate deep into our souls, into the very marrow of our bones, to bring about fruit that is truly consistent with the Spirit of God. Anything else, is just from my own flesh and is marred with my humanness. But, Christ shining through you and me? ~~ What Glory we can bring as a sacrifice of praise to our great and mighty LORD God.
Today, may I decrease, so that He may increase. I can do nothing without Jesus.
Great reminder, Victor.
This makes me think of my children and is a comfort and a reminder for me to pray and be patient as they dip their toes onto the murky waters of the world. As a gardener I know that some fruit trees need to be ‘shocked’ by digging into the root system before it will produce fruit and although I would like to protect my girls from hurt and harm I can’t and it may take a shock and a taste of what the world offers (which we know is nothing of any value) before they turn to God and truly repent and believe the gospel they have been taught through their childhood.
So we continue to love, feed and care for them as much as possible – until they make that decision we know is coming and we hope they will choose the path of righteousness because we are indeed aware of the kindness and severity of God.
Thank you for sharing that parable.
Hello ladies,
Scenario for you:
Your a Christian couple, raised in a Christian environment [good examples etc.] who have tried to do God’s will for most of your life. As you say, you cultivate your “seeds” as best as you can, raising them “in the fear of the Lord”. Yet, they stray, rebel, eventually becoming your “enemies”…
What do you do? And what does this say regarding your faith?
Xavier – I can answer from experience. I became one of those strayed, rebellious seeds. I know I caused my parents much anguish in my young adult life. What did they do? They loved me.
What did that say about ‘their’ faith as parents when their seed went bad and rotten? Nothing, really. We can parent the best that we can, however, it is ultimately our children’s choice as they grow up and become adults. It’s free will. And even ones who have been raised and ‘should know better’ can make wrong choices and seem to walk away from the faith that they were raised on.
But, the prayers of the righteous are effective. It wasn’t too long before I realized the error of my way, repented and from that moment on, I have pursued God and His only Son, Jesus, and His Kingdom with a passion that has yet to cool or grow dim. Sometimes, a person who has been forgiven much, loves much, and that would be me.
Have faith, trust God to draw the child to HIM, and love them.
Angela, how long did you “stray” for?
Was it your parents “love” that brought you back or..?
This conversation about straying ones being loved and encouraged really hits home – in my heart.
Angela’s observation about free will choices of children raised by parents who tried their best – is so true.
I think of Adam and Eve with perfect “equipment” as formed by ther Maker. Who “parented” them flawlessly? Of course, it was God Himself. Nevertheless, they chose to act in a way that brought about disaster.
God continued to provide the way back for Adam and his descendants: perhaps starting with the animal skins and the “protective” expulsion from access to the tree of life.
As a father, I deal with 3 sons who are older (in college.) One adamantly rejects God at the present time; the other 2 worship God together with us. We went through a lot of anguish a few years ago about this situation, but God has healed our hearts.
My wife and I have surrounded our boys with prayers and examples of love (despite our shortcomings.) Our boys are not presently of an age at which it is our job to “control” their choices in any significant way. We do have standards in the house that we expect to be met. We do our best to give loving (not hostile) reminders. We pray that our son (who once loved God deeply as a little boy) turn back. I know that he knows that we care as much about him as we care for his brothers. I keep praying patiently (for more than 5 years now) that he see that God’s love can be ackowledged (for God loves him more than we can) and that he can respond to God.
I soberly realize that his choice is his own to make; meanwhile, I thank God that he is still alive (and potentially capable of changing.) After having talked with him as God gave us opportunities, we are careful not to “throw pearls before swine.”
Meanwhile, we do not diminish making our house and our lives about serving God’s message, disregarding whether this is offensive to our son who does not often stay at the house when we have Christian fellowship.
If any of our kids were to rise up and treat us as enemies, we would simply continue to keep God 1st (not putting our kids “before God’), and love “our enemies”: giving them food/ water/ prayers/ a lack of vengeance/ etc. – Matthew 5: 43-48/ Romans 12: 14-21. We do not know when efforts to love as God loves could provoke a response of real repentance among unbelievers: I Peter 2: 12 and 3: 13-17, even if we suffer in this present time.
We are told to love our enemies so IF the day ever comes when one of my girls turns away from God and absolutely rejects Him then I still have to love her. God makes the sun to shine and the rain to rain on the just and the unjust and we are to try to be perfect as He is perfect. Working from love they neighbour to love thine enemies – covers everyone doesn’t it?
It is difficult to see one of our children walking away from God and all that we hold dear, but we are to love God first with all our heart and seek first His kingdom. We can’t allow that to change because of a wayward child. They have to live their life, make their choices and live with those choices. They must determine what type of ground they are. This all sounds cut and dried, but the reality is it is hard to witness and sometimes it’s hard not be hurt and emotional, but little by little we get there.
I recently listened to Sean’s radio program on Why Truth Matters and it was good to hear a young mans experience of how he turned back to God after some wild times, but the parable shared by Victor really struck a cord with me and gave me hope and comfort from God’s point of view. I hope and pray when the day comes that my girls must make a once and for all choice it will be the right one.
As for the question what does it say regarding our faith, I don’t think it says anything. Our children need to figure things out just as we did. They need to seek God and as I said earlier they must determine what type of ground they are.
Ken, I know we are all “free wheelin’” [to pun a phrase] individuals but my question is geared more to:
What about God’s promises and provisions for the converted person and his family?
I mean, some might say, what is the point of conversion and passing on your faith to your children?
I suppose the point of conversion is to escape death, escape being used by the devil, escape being used to make the world a worse place than it was when you first entered it, escape eternal damnation, and escape whatever judgments of God will be against
one for whatever is not yet come under the rule of God, and we then would hope that we could pass on something, some spiritual gift that would enable another generation so that they would not do the evils we have done.
I was talking to a father who told of his son and his b.b. gun. Sadly
the father told of how he had seen him shoot at a bird. The father
was happy to see his son learn about gun safety, marksmanship, and responsibility.
I told him how I had grown up with a b.b. gun and did the same thing, killing a few birds, and that it seems to be something we just
have to learn from. I suppose a few children can grow up without
shooting at something they are not supposed to shoot at, but how few, it seems to me.
His son is now in law enforcement, and I found out that when I had
entered the Army, I could hit the targets just fine, because I had grown up shooting a b.b. gun.
The point of conversion isn’t just escaping the world but also to be
well pleasing to God, being what we were called by him to be for him and for his Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
So what are we to do when things don’t work out as we had hoped? I suppose we are to do the best we can. There’s a lot to learn.
God gave us so much so that we don’t make the mistakes others have who lived before us, and he keeps on giving instruction. God never quits. Let’s pray and hope he never gives us up to whatever it is that we have been pursuing that’s contrary to him.
We are to be the fruit of the Lord’s orchard. We are to be the trees
that produce the fruit. At times we will be the ones who dig around the trees. Sometimes we may be the ones that get dug around.
Xavier~ Everyone’s personal experience is different, but for me, I’d say there was about five years in my life that I was definitely moving down the wrong path and more away from God then towards. I still prayed and believed there was a God, but that was about it.
You asked, “Was it your parents “love” that brought you back or..?” and I can only speak from my own personal experience, but it was a combination of things, more than one person, and a process over time, that slowly brought me back into the church family and then into a relationship with God that I really hadn’t ever known before. I don’t think anything my parents could have said to me, would have made much difference in the path that I was on. I was a smart girl. I knew what I was doing and I was pretty stubborn. But, like Paul, once converted, those stubborn, strong-willed children turn out to make the best, on-fire Christians ever!!
As my husband and I work in ministry together, I think the hardest thing we have learned is the fact that we cannot save people. We can love them. We can share what we know with them. We can help disciple them. But, we cannot make them accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior of their lives and make them choose life, not death, with the choices that they are making in their lives. Only God can save, through Jesus Christ. It hurts. It’s heart breaking. But, we can only do what we can do, pray, have faith in God’s Spirit working upon their hearts to soften them, and then wait.
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:13-14. Sometimes, waiting is the hardest thing God will ever ask us to do.
And about God’s promises to us & our family? I believe they are true. I believe He will be faithful to us and this is my prayer for all parents with aching hearts and prodigal children, “May He grant you your heart’s desire.” Psalm 20:4a.
What about the biblical phrase “purge the evil [wicked] from among you” [Deuteronomy 13:5; 17:7; 17:12; 21:21; Deuteronomy 22:21; 22:22; 22:24; Judges 20:13; 1Cor 5.13]?
How should we apply this to our rebellious children?
I think about how I Corinthians 7 speaks of a believing man or woman not abandoning the unbelieving spouse who is willing to continue to live with the believer. I Peter 3:1 -2 speaks of wives being subject to unbelieving, disobedient husbands in order to possibly win them by example (instead of by spoken words.) At least until an age when children can live independently, it would seem that a Christian parent’s duty is to continue to raise them in love, being an example of compassion, even if they stray from heeding God’s truth. I’ve known of parents effectively “disowning” their kids; I have yet to see good “fruit” in such expulsions. Eventually they will be independent, responsible for their own choices.
Xavier,
I believe the benefit in passing on faith to our children is something that will be evident in time. The information is there (maybe to a great degree) in the memories of children raised as Christians. As such rebellious children are surrounded with prayer by loving parents and others, there are seeds sown that might bear fruit in time.
I once read a biography about John Newton (the author of Amazing Grace and many other hymns.) While he lived recklessly as a sailor, a drunkard, a blasphemer, and eventually as a ship captain engrossed in the slave trade, he was aware that his mother had died as one who faithfully prayed for John’s repentance/conversion. When he finally repented, years after his mother’s death, he perceived that his mother’s prayers (that he had scorned for years) had been answered. We can keep praying for those who have been confused, lured by evil influences, etc. We just don’t know when a conversion of one who adamantly opposes the truth might occur (such as the conversion of Saul of Tarsus.)
Ken, your wifes and husbands comparison is not for your children.
I do not think it is very Christian nor exemplary for Christian parents to put up with their kids’ sin [wickedness] in their home. I do not see any other option but for Christian parents sometimes to “purge the evil” from their home.
As tough as this is it has to be done. I do not think it is honoring God to continue supporting kids who perpetuate sin, especially in their parents’ home.
Xavier, before you are going to apply the old covenant mandate to “purge the evil” from your midst you should consider that you should also stone them when your children rebel the first time.
I think before we get to the step of removing ourselves or someone else from a situation, we should be careful to follow the Biblical steps that Jesus gives to us (Matthew 18, etc.) Though things might go differently if the other party is not under the Lordship of Christ, we must at least try to work towards restoration. At the end of the day we should be able to say that we did everything that was in our power to resolve things and help bring about repentance (Romans 12:18).
I think that you’re asking a good question that we must look to the Scriptures for answer
Also, can we use Matthew 18 on non-Christians? Isn’t excommunication forbidden one from the assembly? Also, there are some times my 3 year-old is wicked. I don’t kick him out because I know that he this is his depravity rearing its ugly head. Now, if at 21 he still rejects Christ and wants to mooch off his parents,…well that’s a different story all together.
Victor, what you call “the old covenant mandate” is cited by Paul as something that Christians should apply to certain people within their church [1Cor 5.2, 13].
Sean, perhaps I should clarify that the steps I suggested of “purging the evil” from a Christian home is applicable as A LAST RESORT and when your children are of obvious maturity [conscious]. For example, a young teenager who is involved in drugs, sexual immorality and any other type of act which the Bible deems as “unrighteous”.
I was not suggesting to take the legalistic [Pharisaic] high road of just kicking your kids out of your home AT ANY AGE and FOR ANY REASON. As Victor suggested, “we should be able to say that we did everything that was in our power to resolve things and help bring about repentance ([peace] Romans 12:18)”.
I appreciate the feedback, the Scriptural observations and especially the prayers of anyone in response to my sharing of personal family challenges. Maybe I should fill in a few details so as not to give a misleading picture. It is interesting how God’s spiritual guidance is necessary in specific cases; “one size fits all” solutions can’t be backed up by every relevant Scripture.
I would like to mention that “putting up with evil” in our household is not what we do. No one gets away with behaving as Eli’s sons did (the early chapters of I Samuel.) No one among our 3 sons lives as a drunk, a theif, etc. under our roof. All 3 have heeded strong reproofs for reckless actions (as needed.) None have been even close to being as reckless as I was when I was 17.
They mostly cooperate and pull their weight as expected. Interestingly, sometimes our kid (named Paul) ,seduced by unbelief, is more cooperative than his brothers. He got intellectually bamboozled a few years ago and has yet to get his thinking straightened out; please pray for his deliverance.
Meanwhile I’m thankful for any potential breakthroughs/ any potential “seeds” that could bear fruit. One day (when I’m sure it was God’s will) I wrote him a long letter telling him why my faith was important to me in my love for him as my son. It led to several hours of heart-to-heart talks about God’s love/justice, etc. One day I picked up Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God at a store and left it where Paul would find it; as I expected, he read it and made quite a few comments about the good points made by Keller. I rejoice in such things, hoping and praying for the best (whether I see concrete results in my lifetime or not.)
If and when I know it to be God’s will to get anyone moved out of the house, I wouldn’t hesitate.
Ken, thank you for sharing your personal story, I am sure it will help not only me but many would be parents [or parents in general] in their relationship with their children.
Just to add, I do not think children should be Christians just because their parents are. Same with any other religious or run of the mill belief. People should come to their own conclusions regarding the world, daily living and what this whole thing is all about.
I am addressing more those children who, whilst raised in a Christian home and receptive to tis beliefs, suddenly rebel. But not only that, start disrespecting not only their parents’ home but comitting one of the great sins of not honoring their parents as they should. Especially when they start bringing into the home those sinful acts I have mentioned.
It is here that I see alot of Christian parents failing in their duty to either rebuke, reproof and exhort their children. Instead, their love for them blinds their “duty of care” when it comes to the first and greatest of commandments: “Love the Lord your God [ONLY], with all your heart and mind and spirit.”
This is an epidemic situation that I have observed for many decades now within my own family, who for the most part are Christians, when it comes to their children and the running of their homes.