Wandering around the supermarket in the fresh foods section, I pick up an apple and stare at it, checking its every groove to see whether it was sweet. I began to think about how hard sweet fruits are to find (if you're not very good at picking fruits like me). Even when the whole process of growing and picking and ageing is the same, for some reason, only a select few are sweet.
It is difficult to produce sweet fruit and so it is the same with our lives. It takes time, energy, sweat and perseverance - it is not easy.
So I cast my mind to this parable that Jesus spoke in Luke 8.
5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell amongthorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (v5-8)
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience."
(v11-15)
Jesus says that in order to produce sweet fruit, we must hear the word, retain it and persevere. Why do we persevere? Because it doesn't come easy.
It's easy to just hear the word, because it requires no action. It's easier to focus on what is in front of us - our problems, worries, earthly pleasures - than to focus on what is unseen. But Jesus tells us we need to spend the time and effort watering our seeds, feeding ourselves spiritual food, tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. Ponder and meditate on the Word and persevere even when it gets busy and tough, so that in due season, we can stand against the storms of life and produce good fruit.
Good fruit takes time to grow. An unripened fruit is not as its best, so we must be patient in the seasons of growing. Waiting is hard, not seeing any progress while waiting is even harder. Maybe we can't see any signs of growth, maybe God is working behind the scenes, but it's in these seasons where it is even more important that we continue to water our seeds. For God has said, blessed is the one who waits on the Lord.
Good fruit also needs good soil. We need to plant ourselves in an environment where we can grow and flourish, not where we will be choked and strangled. Remove the toxic influences in our lives that are dragging us down and inhibiting our growth. Continually surround ourselves with brothers and sisters, share the light, water each other in times when we don't have what it takes to water ourselves.
So a challenge for myself and for you, is to water our souls with the word of God daily. Meditate on it day and night so that we may retain it. Share it with a brother or sister and water their souls too. It won't be easy and we will need to be patient, but I believe that God loves sweet fruits, just like I do.
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