A Good Tree

Day 35

A Good Tree

 

 

We were created to be fruitful. To bear good fruit. The first two words in our original blessing from God was…’Be fruitful’ and though this was very much connected with population growth of a people (a sign of God’s blessing) it was also connected with the proliferation of the Image of God on earth… we were to be fruitful in manifesting God’s image into the world.

“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:28

This “be fruitful’ blessing was so significant that it is repeated countless times throughout scripture ( Genesis 9:1, Genesis 9:7, Genesis 17:6, Genesis 17:20, Genesis 28:3, Genesis 35:11, Genesis 41:52, Genesis 47:27, Genesis 48:4, Genesis 49:22, Exodus 1:7, Jeremiah 23:3, Psalm 105:24…just to start with).

The Bible talks about fruit a lot. Jesus, on this mountainside is not introducing a new theme here when He is pointing to ‘fruitfulness’ as a litmus test for the spiritual health of a people. But as we look around at the world, even just the Christian world, we don’t have to scan very far to see that fruitlessness or unhealthy fruit is very much part of our human story.

That sad day in the garden long ago when our Imago Dei was shattered by human infidelity human fruitfulness withered on the vine. None of us are now what we were created for then. How do we return? How can fruitfulness and flourishing happen this side of the fall?

‘And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.’ Philippians 1:9-11 (emphasis added).

The point now is not for us to try harder, be better, or work harder to bear fruit. The fruit of righteousness does not come from our effort. It comes from Jesus. Alone.

Our fruitfulness comes from Christ within us and the life of His Spirit at work within us… and is the restoration of the spiritual dimension of our original blessing ‘be fruitful’ and the Imago Dei within our human hearts.

We are planted to grow.

But weeds grow alongside fruit. How do we grow well?

Not being much of a gardener, I’ve always found it counter intuitive that in nature the more you prune and cut a tree, the happier and healthier it becomes. Perhaps this is also true for human nature.

Jesus speaks about this in His discourse not long before His crucifixion…

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

John 15:1-8

Jesus is adamant that our fruitfulness in His Kingdom comes directly from the source: Him. Apart from Him we cannot bear the fruit of His Kingdom. He alone in our source of life and righteous fruitfulness, and the source of our growth, or ‘pruning’ towards greater fruitfulness.

Our true Kingdom family is recognisable to one another not by what we say we believe, but by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives feeding our growth and righteousness.

After all. This is why we were put here on earth, to “be fruitful”…

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.”

John 15:16-17

 

 

Journaling the Journey

What do the choices you make say about the priorities of your heart?

The fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is a good measure to use in discerning the kind of fruit ‘a good tree’ will bear.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

Circle each attribute in this list and then give yourself a grade out of five for each one.

Use this as a spiritual health check. What pruning do you need in order to be a more spiritually healthy tree? What branches need cutting off altogether?

 

Today’s mountainside photograph was taken at Sugarloaf Mountain in Wales, UK.